


Experiments

by Apparentlynotreallyfinnish



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Awkward Sexual Situations, Bisexual!Link, Blow Jobs, First Kiss, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Idiots in Love, M/M, Masturbation, Oblivious!Rhett, Office Shenanigans, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, a hint of ot4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:27:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23092582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish/pseuds/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish
Summary: After coming to terms with his bisexuality Link wants to experiment. And who better to experiment with than his life-long best friend Rhett? It's all very platonic. At least, that's what they tell themselves.
Relationships: Christy Neal/Link Neal, Jessie McLaughlin/Rhett McLaughlin, Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 91
Kudos: 321





	1. Chapter 1

“I’m sorry, you want _what_?!” Rhett asked, staring at Link’s rosy cheeks. Link’s Adam’s apple bobbed and his blush deepened.

“You heard me,” he said quietly, shifting in his seat.

“Uh-uh. What I heard was ‘ _I want to give you head_ ’ and that can’t be right,” Rhett said, his voice rising as his panic did. He felt like he’d been dropped into an alternative universe.

“No. You heard right. That’s what I said,” Link confirmed, lifting his chin a bit to show he’d meant what he’d said.

“B—but… I—Link, what _the fuck_?” Rhett stammered, hoping for Link to burst into laughter and tell him that he was either insane or dreaming.

“Goodness gracious, Rhett. If I’d known this was gonna be such a big deal I wouldn’t have asked. But Christy thought—”

“I’m sorry, how is _Christy_ involved in your sudden desire to suck my dick?”

Link frowned at him and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a cheater. She’s the one that suggested it! And just so you know, I didn’t expect it to happen now. Obviously, you’d have to talk to Jessie first.”

Rhett’s mouth opened and closed slowly, and he was increasingly sure he was dreaming. Link huffed and got up from his desk chair.

“You know the whole… bisexual thing?” he said, walking aimlessly around the office as he always did when he was particularly nervous.

Of course, Rhett knew. After six months in therapy, Link had come out last year to the surprise of literally no one in their close circle of friends. His admission was still met with the sensitivity and unwavering support that Link had needed after being the last one to realize that his love of John Mayer was not limited to the man’s creative output. To Rhett, it hadn’t been that big of a deal. He was happy that Link could live more authentically and be more in touch with all the facets of his personality, but it had no real impact on their day-to-day lives.

Until a few minutes ago when Link had—in the middle of their shared office—suddenly inquired whether Rhett would be willing to let Link go down on him. That bit Rhett had a little trouble wrapping his head around.

“Everyone’s been so great about that. Truly. Especially Christy. She’s been—” Link’s face turned a shade of red Rhett had never seen before. “She’s been very accommodating with toys and roleplays and stuff…”

Rhett felt like slamming his palms over his ears and shouting _“la la la”_ at the top of his lungs. Link’s sex life was literally that— _Link’s_. Rhett had never particularly wanted to hear about it. But now his mind was filled with filthy images of his best friend’s wife wearing a strap-on and going to town on said best-friend.

“Link, please,” Rhett moaned and waved his hands in front of his face, hoping that Link would understand his discomfort. He was squirming in his seat, trying desperately not to think about Link and toys. 

_Link and toys. Toys and Link. Toys_ in _Link… Fuck!_

“Yeah. Sorry. But what I— well, what we’ve come to realize is that it’s not the same. And since we’re quite firmly planning on abiding by the ‘til death do us part’ bit in our vows, she thought it would be unfair if I’d never got to experience certain things.”

“Huh,” Rhett said and scratched his beard, staring blindly over Link’s head. That actually made sense. “Okay. I get that. Kinda. But why me?”

“Who else? I mean… We’ve always had that kinda weird intimacy thing. Almost like we’re parts of the same person. So, it would be almost like doing it to myself. And don’t tell me you wouldn’t do that if you could,” Link said, laughing. Rhett arched a brow and chuckled. Link was right. He would.

“I wouldn’t want it to be a stranger. That’s too nerve-wracking. And what if—” Link paused and bit on his lip.

“What if what?” Rhett asked. Despite his initial reaction, he already thought Link was making some good points.

“What if I _fell_ for that person? That would be… really fucking unfortunate. With you, that’s not an issue.”

Rhett was surprised by the visceral reaction his body had to Link’s words—it was like a gut punch. He turned to face his desk and fiddled with his pen to hide the sudden gut-wrenching ache. Link seemed to be oblivious to it—he was still prattling on.

“If I haven’t fallen in love with you in the past 36 years, it’s not gonna happen now, right? And Christy agrees that you’d be the best choice. It would be just one time. Obviously. And then–”

“Yeah, okay,” Rhett interrupted him. “I’ll talk to Jessie tonight.”

“Really?” Link’s eyes widened and a hopeful smile lit up his features.

“Really. But if she’s okay and we go through with this… You owe me big time.”

“Definitely!” Link hurried to assure. He stepped up to Rhett and took his hands into his own. “ _Thank you._ For real. This means a lot to me.”

Rhett felt the warmth of Link’s touch radiating all the way to the top of his head and down to his toes. He tried to swallow surreptitiously around the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat.

“Sure, brother.”

A text message later that night from Rhett to Link.

_Jessie said okay. When and where are we doing this?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Have fun!_

Jessie’s parting words rolled around in Rhett’s mind as he parked his car on the driveway of their creative house. She’d kissed Rhett’s cheek and waved from the door as Rhett pulled away from their house. The teasing grin she’d had on her face the whole morning had been a constant reminder that today was _the day_. 

Link’s Audi was already parked on the driveway. Rhett turned off the engine and took a few deep breaths, fingers curled around the steering wheel just to hold onto something real. All week he’d felt like he was in a perpetual dream. The restless nights had settled into the lines around his eyes and painted his eyes blood-shot and glossy. Rhett stared at his reflection from the rearview mirror and tried to forget the dreams that had haunted him ever since Jessie had—a bit too easily in Rhett’s opinion—agreed to loan his husband for Link’s sexual experiment. 

Seeing Link in all manner of undress was normal to Rhett. It’s not like he purposefully sought for opportunities to experience his best friend in his birthday suit—it just kept happening. Since their teenage years and the muddy waters of Cape Fear River, skinny-dipping had been a thing they regularly and unapologetically did together. And nowadays, they changed clothes for filming in the same dressing room. So, Rhett had seen his fair share of Link. 

But before Link’s request earlier that week, he hadn’t actually _seen_ him. At least his conscious mind hadn’t. His subconscious seemed to have memorized every inch of his best friend’s lean and tight body. That had been more than evident every night after they’d agreed that the deed was to be done on Saturday, at their rented house. 

Even that had gotten a chuckle out of Jess. 

“I knew it,” she’d said, giggling when Rhett had shown him Link’s messages.

“Knew what?” Rhett had asked, confused and already feeling embarrassed about what she was going to say.

“The house! You got it, so you guys could _get it_ ,” she’d said with a silly eyebrow wiggle and a suggestive hip thrust that had made Rhett’s cheeks flush. 

To Rhett’s horror, his wife had gotten way too much enjoyment out of his embarrassment over the whole situation. Rhett couldn’t help but wonder whether she knew about the dreams. He hadn’t told her—that seemed like oversharing—but every morning she looked at him with that certain kind of smile and asked a bit too innocently “did you sleep well, babe?” 

Rhett shook his head to chase away the dreamy images of Link in a cavalcade of compromising positions and combed his fingers through his messy head of curls. He just needed to get this over with. Then they could go back to their normal life and their normal—platonic—friendship.

The house was not as silent as he’d expected. A slow beat and a soft male voice filled the space. Rhett found Link from the middle room, sitting cross-legged on the couch, bobbing his head in rhythm with the music coming from a Bluetooth speaker. He was scrolling on his phone, his recently trimmed salt-and-pepper hair falling over his forehead. Rhett stood at the doorway and worried his bottom lip, waiting for Link to notice him.

“ _And when your eyes catch mine, I know I talk too much. So give me your two lips and baby, I’ll shut up…_ ” Link started quietly singing along with the song, his shoulders rolling with his words. A smile tugged at Rhett’s lips. 

“Hey,” he said, making Link jerk and blush as if he’d been caught with his hand inside the cookie jar. 

“Hi.” Link’s voice was hoarse and he pocketed his phone before getting up. Rhett stepped into the room and tried to not look at the bed in the corner. Jessie had insisted on it when they were decorating. “You’re gonna want a place to nap between all that fabulous creating you guys are gonna do,” she’d said and even though Rhett had tried to reason with her—” _we can nap on the couch!_ ”—she’d gotten her way. 

“You came,” Link said softly, sounding almost surprised. 

Rhett couldn’t help the nervous giggle that burst out of him. “Not yet, but that’s the plan, right?”

Link’s exasperated eye roll was comfortingly normal and the tension between them eased a bit.

“What are you listening to?” Rhett asked, hoping that a simple conversation would help with his nerves.

“Greyson Chance.”

“Never heard of him.”

“He’s good.”

A silence fell between them and the tension was rapidly building back the walls that they’d managed to bring down. _Better just get on with it, right?_

“So, how do you wanna do this?” Rhett asked, trying to keep his voice level and matter-of-fact. Link’s gaze bounced from the bed to the couch and to Rhett’s infinite relief, he nodded towards the latter. For some reason, doing this on the couch felt less intimate. 

Rhett walked past him and sat down. He slapped his hands against his thighs and smiled a bit too wide to hide his nervousness. Link was still standing next to the couch, staring at Rhett.

“Are we really gonna do this?” he asked, hands swaying nervously.

Rhett frowned and tried to ignore his gut twisting at the possibility that Link was gonna call off the whole thing.

“If you want to,” he said slowly. “It’s your show, brother.”

Link’s hand rose to his face and he started biting on his thumbnail.

“It’s gonna be weird,” he muttered, glancing away from Rhett.

“Probably,” Rhett agreed, stomach coiling into a tighter knot. “But when are we not weird?”

A surprised chuckle broke from Link’s lips and something seemed to loosen in him. His shoulders came down from his ears and his hand fell away from his mouth. “True,” he said with a smirk before continuing. “Okay. Let’s do this. Take off your pants.”

“Whoa, whoa. Hold on. Where’s the romance, Neal? I’m not just a piece of meat, you know,” Rhett teased but got up and opened the fly of his pants before Link had time for a snarky reply. His hands stopped, though, thumbs slipped under the waistband of his underwear. “Um.” 

“What?” Link asked.

“I’m not… You know, ready to go. Should I—? I don’t know, like watch something or…” Rhett was suddenly worried about his ability to perform and unsure which would be the worse option: getting immediately hard when Link touched him or not being able to get hard at all. 

“Oh. Umm. No, I—I think I’d like to try and get you there. If that’s okay? Get the whole experience, you know?” Link said, looking past Rhett with his cheeks flushed.

“Yeah, okay. Sure,” Rhett muttered and pulled down his jeans, leaving his boxer briefs on for the time being. He sat back on the couch, legs spread apart, feeling more vulnerable than he had ever felt before. Link sidled up to him and, in a move too fluid for a forty-year-old guy, got on his knees on the floor between Rhett’s legs. 

_Oh my fucking God!_

Rhett’s breath hitched and he had to fight the urge to jump up and run away. Link’s hands hovered over Rhett’s bare thighs.

“Where can I touch you?” he asked, face tilted upwards to look Rhett in the eye. 

“Anywhere.” The word slipped out like an exhale—instinctive and needy. The truth of it terrified Rhett and he let out a fake, awkward laugh. “Maybe not poke me in the eye…” 

Link huffed a short, humorless laugh, swallowed audibly and planted his hands on Rhett’s legs, bracing himself on them to reach up. Rhett’s eyes widened as Link’s face came closer and closer. Panic made his chest squeeze and his vision blur. _If he kisses me I don’t…_ But then Link ducked under Rhett’s chin and pressed his lips on the crook of his neck. The kiss was soft and quickly followed by another one, that one closer to the collar of Rhett’s shirt. Link’s hand moved away from Rhett’s leg and grabbed the hem of his shirt. Link tugged on it and whispered against Rhett’s tingling skin, “can you take this off too?”

Rhett slipped the t-shirt off wordlessly and tried to reign in his wildly beating heart as Link’s feathery kisses moved down his chest. It had been laughable to worry that he might not be able to get hard. The moment Link’s lips touched his skin, all the blood in his body seemed to migrate between his legs. His dick was throbbing and ready in no time, straining against the fabric of his underwear. Link either hadn’t noticed or chose to ignore it as he concentrated on touching Rhett’s chest.

Both of his hands were now moving on Rhett’s body. He was sliding them up and down Rhett’s torso leaving little burning trails behind them.

“You feel so… sturdy,” Link mumbled, his voice filled with awe. One of his hands was circling up to squeeze Rhett’s bicep and then back down to feel his stomach. The other was concentrating its explorations onto Rhett’s nipple, drawing slow circles around it to coax it to perk up. Link hummed happily, pleased with his efforts before diving down to suck it into his mouth to lick and gently bite on it with such determination Rhett had to wonder how long he’d been wanting to do exactly that. The move dragged a garbled moan out of Rhett that made his cheeks burn and his heart kick up a notch. Link let out a satisfied chuckle and released Rhett’s nipple with one final bite. Rhett’s cock jumped in the confines of his boxers. 

“Was that good?” Link asked, voice a little more breathless than Rhett had expected.

“S’fine,” Rhett groaned and closed his eyes, desperate to find some kind of calm inside himself to survive the onslaught of all the new sensations. He couldn’t watch Link do this to him. He couldn’t even really think about Link touching him. He’d already gone from zero to one-hundred in seconds and coming _just from this_ would haunt him the rest of his life. Link would never let him live that down.

“You can think I’m someone else, you know,” Link said, licking a wet stripe from Rhett’s clavicle to his ear. “If that helps.”

“Mmhmm,” Rhett managed to hum, trying to appear less than affected. It was hard, though. His hips wanted to buck involuntarily. His cock was aching for attention and the thought that Link’s perfect, wet mouth would soon be on it was making Rhett dizzy.

Link’s hand slipped below Rhett’s waistline and his knuckles dragged over the bulge in Rhett’s boxers. 

“ _Oh_ ,” Link breathed in surprise. His head whipped down—Rhett knew that because he could feel Link’s hair brushing against his chest. “You’re so hard,” Link marveled. Rhett didn’t know what to say to that, so he said nothing.

“ _Fuck_ , that’s hot,” Link mumbled and pressed his palm firmly against Rhett’s erection. Surprised by the sudden change in pressure, Rhett moaned out loud and his hips rose to meet Link’s touch. Link gasped, snapped his hand away and fell backwards, landing on his ass with a nervous giggle. 

Rhett’s eyes opened and he stared at the man sitting on the floor giggling like crazy. The watch on Link’s wrist was peeping to tell him that his pulse was too high. It made Link laugh even harder and he fumbled to silence the alarm. 

Rhett was thoroughly embarrassed. His face was on fire, only barely won by the inferno raging in his stomach. He grabbed a decorative pillow to hide his erection.

“Stop that,” he snapped, covering his face with his other hand.

“I’m—sorry—But,” Link was having trouble speaking between the guffaws. “It’s just so weird.”

“ _Shit!_ This was a bad idea. I’m just gonna—” Rhett mumbled and shot up, trying to escape the torture that this moment had turned into. Link’s hand wrapped around Rhett’s wrist to stop him. 

“No! Wait. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s not anything you did. I want you to enjoy it. Otherwise, what’s the point? I’m just…” Link took a long, shuddering breath, finally coming down from his laugh attack. “… nervous. I’m just so nervous. You gotta understand.”

Rhett had stopped but was swaying on his feet, still begging for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

“Please, Rhett. Sit back down.”

Rhett drew a ragged breath. He could just go. He could just go and say that it had been a mistake. That he couldn’t do this. That he didn’t want to.

_That would be a lie._

Link’s other hand touched Rhett’s knee and started moving up, leaving gooseflesh in its wake.

“I won’t laugh anymore. I got it out of my system, I promise,” Link whispered, crawling closer to Rhett. Rhett let him gently pull away the pillow. He screwed his eyes closed when Link’s palm reached his crotch.

“I need this, bo. Please.” Link palmed Rhett slowly, dragging his hand up and down his length, making Rhett shiver. “You feel so good. Like… even just touching you. It’s so different. I want to know—I _need_ to know what you taste like. How you feel in my mouth.”

Rhett opened his eyes and looked down. Link was sitting on his haunches, looking up at him with pleading eyes. It would’ve required a much stronger man than Rhett to say no to those eyes. He swallowed the last shreds of his pride, sighed and settled back on the couch.

“Okay,” he said to Link. “Show me what that mouth can do.” 


	3. Chapter 3

Link was kissing his way up Rhett’s chest, leaving behind tingling patches of skin. There were gonna be marks on him tomorrow. For some reason, Rhett didn’t mind. Hot, quickened breath on his ear made him shiver. 

“I’m glad you stayed,” Link whispered. 

_Me too._

Link’s hand was still firmly on Rhett’s cock, rubbing it through his boxers. Rhett closed his eyes as Link sucked his earlobe into his mouth and slowly flicked it with his tongue. Rhett could barely feel it; there was a ping pong match going in his brain that took up all of his attention. 

_It’s just a hand on your cock. You’ve been touched like this before. It’s not that big of a deal._

_It’s Link’s hand. It’s a big fucking deal._

Rhett tried to ignore the part of his brain that was panicking. Link freed his ear with a wet smack that made him giggle.

“Don’t,” Rhett warned, closing his eyes. His hands were hanging limply by his sides. What was he supposed to do with them? 

“Sorry,” Link said sheepishly but Rhett could hear the smirk in his voice. He gave Rhett’s ear one last lick and moved to nibble along his clavicle. His hand settled over the tip of Rhett’s cock, his thumb rubbing on it, drawing out beads of pre-cum with each pass. 

“Is this okay?” Link asked, voice breathless and close. Rhett’s back arched into the sensation despite his best efforts to keep himself still.

“Yeah. Feels good,” he husked.

“Yeah? What do you want me to do now?” Link’s spoke with a soft purr, teeth and lips dragging against Rhett’s neck and shoulder. Rhett huffed, annoyed. What was he playing at? Did he want Rhett to beg?

“I thought you were supposed to just…” he growled, pressing himself harder against Link’s touch. Now that he was 100% committed, he felt impatient. “Just suck me off.” 

The wet patch on his boxers was spreading with each brush of Link’s thumb and the head of his cock was rubbing against the drenched fabric. It felt both aggravatingly good and a little bit disgusting.

“I will. I just wanna know what you like,” Link said earnestly. But the answer to Link’s question died inside Rhett’s throat because right then Link’s hand slipped inside his underwear and Link’s long fingers wrapped around him. As speech was robbed from him, his hands started moving as if on their own. Rhett pulled Link closer, fingers digging into his back. His other hand grabbed Link’s wrist and guided it into a deliberately slow pump and twist that Link picked up on quickly. Rhett’s hand fell away and Link kept jerking him with a loose fist.

Rhett moaned and screwed his eyes closed so tightly that little sparks of light swam through his field of vision. _I’m seeing stars_ , Rhett thought, feeling like he was teetering on the edge of hysteria. 

Link’s thumb swept over the tip of Rhett’s cock. It was like a broken faucet, dripping fat pearls of pre-cum onto Link’s searching fingers.

“Mmh, you’re so wet,” Link mumbled, hiding his face into the crook of Rhett’s neck. _Is he as embarrassed as I am?_

“Do you always get this… excited?” Link asked, moving his hand from tip to root, spreading the slickness all over Rhett’s length. 

“Yeah,” Rhett lied.

Link’s teeth sank into Rhett’s skin and Rhett could simultaneously hear and feel the moan that bubbled out of him. Was he getting this turned on just from touching Rhett’s cock? Was he hard? Spurred on by that thought, Rhett’s mind immediately fired up a reel of images where Link climbed on his lap, dug out his own—very erect—dick, pressed it against Rhett’s and wrapped his hands around them both.

“ _Fuck,_ ” Rhett gasped, bucking as the sudden fantasy tightened his stomach and carved a new kind of a need inside his chest. Link’s grip on Rhett’s cock firmed, his pace quickened and he let out a muffled groan. Rhett’s hips moved, rising repeatedly to fuck into Link’s fist.

“I need you to…” Link mumbled. He was moving now too, his still-clothed chest dragging against Rhett’s body. _Is he…?_

“Are you humping the couch?” The words tumbled out of Rhett unprompted, followed by an awkward chuckle. 

“Shut up,” Link groaned, but didn’t stop moving. “I can’t help it. I’m _so fucking hard._ ” 

The admission made Rhett feel faint and giddy. He was laughing. It bubbled in his chest and he had to let it out, otherwise, he was sure he might burst. Link let out an angry whine and his free hand grabbed a fistful of Rhett’s hair. He tugged on it to make Rhett stop. But it only made Rhett growl and lean away from Link’s grip, tightening the pull. It felt _good_. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times, feeling slightly disoriented. 

“We agreed no laughing,” Link muttered, face colored with shame. He sounded so small and wounded that Rhett had no other choice but to wrap his arms around Link and pull him into a tight hug. He bent down to press a wet kiss on Link’s cheek before mumbling a low “m’sorry.” 

“Asshole,” Link huffed. 

“You wanna stop?” Rhett asked quietly, dreading the answer. Link slipped away from his embrace and for one never-ending second, Rhett ached all over. But Link was only moving down, settling back between Rhett’s legs.

“No I don’t,” Link said, staring at Rhett with a stubborn pout. His gaze was still trained on Rhett as he dug out Rhett’s throbbing cock. 

“What I wanna do—” Link started before pausing to bend down and lick off the wetness from the head of Rhett's cock. “—is to suck you off and for you to come on my face.”

Rhett’s brain short-circuited. _Come on your_ what _?_ He didn’t even remember to close his eyes when Link dove down and started slowly licking and gently sucking up and down Rhett’s shaft. Rhett just stared at his best friend as he got acquainted with him in a way that was both curious and greedy. 

As Link’s lips tasted Rhett all over, his hands wandered from Rhett’s cock to Rhett’s straining thighs and his tension-filled stomach. Every touch started a small fire that spread, making Rhett feel increasingly weak and breathless. When Link moved down to cradle his balls Rhett’s eyes rolled back and his head thumped against the wall behind the couch. 

Link soon moved up Rhett’s length. He opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue and rubbed the head of Rhett’s cock against it. A noise rumbled out of Rhett’s throat. It was a mix of a growl and a plea, and Rhett had never before uttered such a sound. He no longer had energy left to be embarrassed. He whined low and needy and lifted his head to look at Link toying with him.

The corner of Link’s lips tugged up and like the little cock-tease Rhett had somehow always known he was gonna be, he kept doing it, kept sending shocks of pleasure coursing through Rhett’s body. For what felt like an eternity, Link kept Rhett on the edge of madness. Rhett was panting unabashedly and twisting his hips as he fought the need to ram his dick inside Link’s mouth. 

“Not laughing anymore?” Link asked with a smirk, lips brushing against Rhett’s cock.

“No,” Rhett said, voice as strained as the muscles keeping him in place. “Never again. I’ll do anything if you just put it in your mouth already!” 

Link tilted his head and scrunched his nose as if he was thinking hard. At the same time, he was slowly tapping Rhett’s cock against his cheek. It was a ridiculous sight, something that should’ve made Rhett either break out in giggles or feel embarrassed as fuck, but all he could think was _please, please, please, make me come_. 

“Anything?” Link confirmed. Rhett nodded vigorously as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. 

“Would you—” Link said, drawing out the last word, his thumb slowly rubbing the bundle of nerves under the head of Rhett’s cock. Rhett was shaking from the pleasure, his fingers digging painfully into the couch as he waited for Link to stop teasing him.

“Please, _anything,_ ” Rhett panted. Link bit his lip and looked up at Rhett with those glacial blue eyes that apparently made Rhett give the man anything he wanted. 

And then Link asked.

“Would you go down on me after I’m finished with you?”


	4. Chapter 4

_YES!_

Rhett used the last bit of his self-control not to scream out his enthusiastic answer. As if it had been waiting for permission to do this, his mind immediately conjured up a vision where a naked Link was laying down on the bed in the corner, aching for Rhett to lick his way down Link’s chest and stomach until he could finally fill his mouth with Link’s mouth-wateringly hard… 

The thought almost made Rhett come on the spot. His hips tilted up, searching for something to fill. With considerable mental gymnastics, he hid the thought away for later inspection and nodded again. 

“Yeah, anything. _Come on_.” 

Link’s eyes widened and morphed from his usual bright blues to black and glossy pools of pure want. Rhett barely had time to acknowledge how beautiful he looked before his cock sank deep inside Link’s mouth. 

“Ah!” Rhett groaned, whipping his head back against the wall. He hit it hard but barely registered the pain. All he felt was a stomach-tingling, wet heat enveloping his cock. Link moved slowly, bobbing his head experimentally as he swirled his tongue against the most sensitive parts. Rhett was in the middle of a deep moan when suddenly, sharpness dragged along his shaft. 

“Teeth, teeth!” Rhett yelped and jerked away, his hand reaching blindly for Link. 

Link released him immediately and apologized profusely, kissing the sting away. He grabbed Rhett’s searching hand and pressed it into his hair. Rhett’s fingers threaded through the salt-and-pepper—nowadays more salt than pepper. Link’s eyes fluttered closed as he keened into Rhett’s touch and a small whimper slipped from his glistening lips. Rhett did his best to ignore the burning need to tug on Link’s hair to see if he would enjoy the pain as much as he had earlier.

“Help me out, yeah?” Link whispered, opening his eyes. With a shiver of anticipation, Rhett guided himself back inside Link’s waiting mouth. They moved slowly together, Link finding his way and Rhett showing it to him with small movements and sighs.

There were no more teeth, just unadulterated pleasure. Rhett got lost in it and couldn’t help but thrust his hips a bit, burrowing himself deeper inside Link’s eager warmth. Link sputtered and gagged and Rhett quickly pulled away.

“You okay?” Rhett asked, drawing in deep breaths, trying to tamp down his desire to throw Link on the couch, climb on top of him and fuck his mouth with all he had. 

Link dipped down again and sucked him deep, hollowing his cheeks with his tongue flattened below. Rhett groaned and squirmed, his grip on Link’s hair tightening reflexively. After a few long, slow sucks, Link popped off of him with a lewd sound and smiled. 

“I’m good. Is this… Am I doing it right?”

Rhett growled in frustration, desperate for Link to keep going. His heart was beating a rhythm so fast it was hard to think. 

“Rhett?” 

Rhett tried to concentrate on Link’s face. His cock was throbbing, ready to burst at any minute and the beat of his heart was almost deafening. Then he remembered. This wasn’t supposed to be about him. Somewhere along the way, he’d forgotten. This was Link’s experiment. 

“Yeah. Feels amazing. You’re doing a great job,” Rhett assured Link, petting his hair, silently praying for him to continue. Link let out a pleased giggle. 

“A great _blow_ job,” he corrected with a wink. Rhett rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but laugh too.

“I’m sure we can come up with more puns if that’s what you wanna keep doing,” he muttered, amused by Link’s delight. 

“Nah,” Link drawled and gave Rhett a few tight-fisted pumps that made him moan and tremble all over. “I’d rather watch you come.”

“Get on with it then,” Rhett groaned. “I’m already so close.”

“Warn me before you bust,” Link reminded with a stern look. Rhett hummed a quiet “yeah” and watched his cock slowly sink back between Link’s lips. Rhett let go of his hair and swept his hand down, brushing his fingertips over Link’s hollowed-out cheek on his way to feel how Link’s lips stretched around his thickness. 

“Fuck, so pretty,“ he murmured. Link moaned around his cock and closed his eyes. 

After that everything was a blur. It was like Rhett’s brain shut down all other functions except those keeping him alive and those keeping him feeling Link’s mouth on him. Link was a quick study. He sucked and swallowed around him, licked and used his hand to bridge the gap between his lips and Rhett’s neatly trimmed hair. He did all the things Rhett had never known he wanted Link to do. 

When Link’s mouth suddenly disappeared Rhett whimpered at the loss of the sweet heat, but it soon appeared lower, lapping on Rhett’s balls, sucking them into his mouth one by one and rubbing the spit-slicked sack gently as his mouth returned to suck on Rhett’s aching cock. 

Rhett should’ve orgasmed ages ago. He was perpetually on the edge of “almost there”. But somehow Link seemed to know or guess when Rhett was nearing his finish because every time he was about to announce the inevitable, Link pulled away, moved from a tight suck to sloppy kisses of discovery, or fully abandoned Rhett’s slippery cock in favor of acquainting himself more closely with the tender flesh of Rhett’s inner thigh or the skin stretched over his hip bones. Rhett was losing his mind and had never been so happy to go mad.

He would have gladly spent hours being edged by his best friend’s surprisingly skilled mouth, but finally, he was beyond the point of turning back. 

“I’m gonna…” Rhett warned, gasping for air. Link gave him one last slow bob and then backed up a bit. Rhett looked at him for the first time in a while and was surprised how affected Link looked. He was breathless, pulling in quick gasps of air as if he was drowning. His glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. His mouth looked so ravaged—skin around his lips rubbed raw and his lips plump and bright pink—that Rhett almost bent down and pulled him into a kiss. He longed to kiss those lips. But he didn’t. Of course, he didn’t.

Link nudged his glasses back into their place with his finger and wiped away some of the saliva that had spread on his chin. 

“Come on then,” he said, voice raspy and pleading. His body was tense, chest pushed forward and his face turned slightly up so that his chin jutted out. He braced his hands on Rhett’s thighs.

Rhett took hold of himself and grabbed a fistful of Link’s hair again. He didn’t trust his aim in his current state so he felt it was better to steady Link’s face close to his cock. Link cried out as Rhett’s hand dragged him forward and Rhett startled, loosening his grip. Link forced Rhett’s hand back into his hair and then wrapped both of his hands around Rhett’s cock and the hand holding it.

“Don’t you fucking dare let go. Wanna feel you come,” Link panted and together they worked Rhett over the edge. 

He barely made a sound. After all that build-up he came hard and fast. Relief and pleasure mixed in his gut, making him heave out a shuddering sob and one single word. 

“ _Link_.” 

Rhett whimpered the name and spread his come over Link’s flushed cheeks, over his glasses, on his parted lips and more than few droplets straight into his mouth. Link’s hands fell from his cock and his fingers dug into Rhett’s thighs hard enough to bruise as he let out a guttural sound that settled deep inside Rhett’s stomach and turned into a pool of heat and primal want. He was only barely finished but at that moment, he felt like he could come again, just from hearing that sound. 

Link slumped to lean against Rhett’s shaking leg. He was breathing heavily, slowly licking his lips clean, tasting Rhett on his face.

Rhett fell backwards. He was beat, empty, used up and on cloud nine. A smile lingered on his lips and he wanted to laugh. He wanted to grab Link and lift him into his arms and kiss him and kiss him and kiss him. He wanted to—

“Ew, you got my glasses.” Link’s annoyed words crashed through Rhett’s euphoria and he opened his eyes, trying to get his bearings in the real world. Link was gone from the floor. He’d gotten up while Rhett was flying high and was now walking towards the kitchen. Rhett’s chest tightened. Link didn’t sound happy. 

Rhett swept a few droplets of come from his fingers onto his shirt that he’d picked up from the floor. He pulled the shirt on, then his boxers. Water was running into the sink. Rhett padded to the kitchen and watched from the doorway as Link washed his face. His back was turned and when he closed the tap, he didn’t turn. He just reached for the kitchen towel, dried his face and stayed there, staring at the sink. 

Rhett’s elation was officially dead and buried.

“You okay?” he whispered, taking a few steps towards Link. Link’s shoulders jumped and he turned to look towards Rhett, eyes wide and cheeks still as flushed as they had been in the other room. 

“Fine,” he said, refusing to look Rhett in the eye. 

Rhett was pulled to him as if his body was not ready to let go of the intimacy they’d just shared. His arms wrapped around Link’s waist. Link’s eyes widened and he let out a small “what are you doing?”

“Didn’t you want me to…?” Rhett asked, terrified of how hopeful he sounded. His hand moved from Link’s waist and slipped between them, searching for something hard to wrap his fingers around. 

“Rhett, wait!” Link cried and tried to step away, but it was too late. Rhett had already felt it. His head whipped down to make sure. And there it was—the tell-tale wet spot on Link’s pants. For a few seconds, Rhett forgot how to breathe. Suddenly, it all made sense. 

_He came._

_He came untouched as I did._

Link moaned and hid his face behind his hands.

“So fucking embarrassing,” he whined. Rhett’s heart ached for him. This was supposed to be a good experience for him. Not something that made him cringe as he thought back on it.

“No, it’s not,” Rhett assured, pulling Link into a bear hug. “It’s totally fine, dude. That happens.”

“But…”

“You have a change of clothes in your office, right? Just clean up and you’re good as new.”

“Okay,” Link muttered against Rhett’s chest. Slowly, his hands wrapped around Rhett and he squeezed. They stood like that for a while, breathing the same air, wrapping their minds around what had just happened. 

“Thanks,” Link said finally and lifted his face from Rhett’s chest.

“Honestly, it’s not a big deal,” Rhett said.

“No, I mean, thanks for being my first.”

He smiled a crooked smile and slipped past Rhett. Rhett watched him go, trying to put words to the way he felt—like he was ripped apart and put back together again all at once.


	5. Chapter 5

Their house was dark and silent when Rhett got back home. He snuck into the bedroom and took a quick shower before slipping between the sheets. He hadn’t meant to wake Jessie, but as soon as he settled, she mumbled a sleepy hello and slid closer to snuggle against him. Her head settled on Rhett’s chest and she hummed contently. Rhett wrapped an arm around her and petted her hair absentmindedly. 

“How was it?” Her whispered question startled Rhett. He’d thought she’d fallen back asleep.

“Do you really want to know?” he asked, worried that she was only offering out of some kind of overcompensated politeness. She lifted her head and looked up at him with kind eyes.

“Yeah, if you wanna tell me.”

Rhett bit his lip. His head was a mess. Link and he hadn’t talked much after what happened in the kitchen. Rhett had waited for him to clean up and change, hoping for an opportunity to do a proper verbal autopsy of what had just transpired between them. And Link usually loved talking things out; _he_ was the verbal processor in their relationship. 

But after he’d changed into a pair of clean, dark jeans, he barely looked at Rhett and left him with just a muttered goodbye. Rhett did his best not to take it personally. Link was clearly still embarrassed and probably feeling as confused as Rhett was.

Or was he? Maybe Link didn’t stay and talk with him because he didn’t think there was anything to talk about. A heavy weight settled on Rhett’s chest as that thought occurred to him.

“Babe?” Jessie asked, nudging him gently.

It _would_ feel good to talk about it with someone. And if Jess was willing…

“It was… weird, I guess?” Rhett started, choosing his words carefully. “At first at least. It’s Link, you know? Not used to him being—down there.”

“Mmhmm, that’s understandable. And then?” she prompted. 

_Does she really want to hear this?_ They did share a lot—communication was the key to their relationship flourishing after almost twenty years together—but sharing _this_ seemed a bit odd. 

Rhett looked down, trying to catch her expression to gauge her mood, but what he saw instead was that she was tracing her finger along the blurry edges of a hickey. There was another one below his pec and a few more further down. Rhett’s cheeks flushed, but since she wasn’t saying anything about them, he didn’t either.

Trying to ignore the burning on his cheeks, Rhett closed his eyes and thought back on the events of the last few hours. Aside from the obvious awkwardness of the whole encounter, his mind was mostly filled with expletives and praise.

“Is it bad if I say I liked it?” he asked, sucking in a quick breath, suddenly afraid of her reaction.

Jessie let out a tinkling laughter that made Rhett’s stomach unclench. 

“No, of course not,” she said, pressing her jaw onto Rhett’s chest and smiling up at him. Rhett huffed a laugh and smiled back at her. 

“It was good,” he said, just to say it out loud. _Really good. Like… whoa good._

“I’m glad. I did tell you to have fun, remember?” she said, with a teasing smirk and a gentle bite right next to the mark Link had left on him earlier. Rhett’s mind was bending over backwards, trying to somehow fit both Jessie and Link into his brain at the same time. It hadn’t been a problem before, but now it felt nearly impossible.

“Do you think you should—” Jessie started.

“Should what?” Rhett asked when she didn’t continue her sentence. 

“Maybe do it again?”

“Huh?” 

Rhett’s heart was once again threatening to burst out of his chest. If he survived this day without getting a heart attack, he’d surely be set for life. 

“Yeah. I mean, one time is hardly enough to show Link what it’s really like to _be intimate_ with a man,” Jessie said matter-of-factly.

“I— But—” Rhett stammered. “I don’t…”

“Don’t you want to?” Jessie asked. For the first time after watching Link’s car pull away from the house, Rhett let himself consider the possibility of actually asking him for a do-over. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what his dick thought about the idea. It twitched against his thigh in a loud and resounding ‘yes, please’. Rhett felt like slapping it for misbehaving like that. He wasn’t supposed to get hard for Link, much less _because of_ him.

But he _did_ technically owe Link a blow job. 

“I wouldn’t say no, if he asked,” Rhett said, trying to evade the question.

“Christy and I talked today. We agreed that if tonight went well, we were gonna suggest that you guys spend a night at the house.”

“And do what?!” Rhett croaked, trying to dislodge his heart out of his throat. He hadn’t dared to think beyond blow jobs. His heart raced at the possibility of _more_. 

“Anything that feels right for you,” Jessie simply said, leaving Rhett speechless.

“Think about it. We can talk more tomorrow,” Jessie said after a long stretch of silence. She pressed a soft kiss onto Rhett’s bearded jaw, whispered a good night and turned away before falling back to sleep 

Rhett was left alone with his tangled thoughts, staring at the dark ceiling, feeling more confused than he had been when he came back home.

— — —

The next night, Rhett sat in his home office, behind a locked door, headphones covering his ears, leg jiggling nervously as he stared at the images flashing on the screen. 

He’d been at it a while. 

At first, he’d read articles. That had been an easy place to start. It was just scientific curiosity, he told himself. He’d never really thought about how it actually worked when both partners were male. He was just educating himself. 

When he moved on to the videos, it got a bit harder to explain away his interest as research. 

He managed to watch just a few minutes of the first video before the embarrassment grew too much to bear. He stopped the video and got up from the chair. A quick walk around the office calmed some of his nerves and he was able to try again. 

This time he got to the part where the reddened head of a thick dick was pushing inside an asshole dripping with lube before he clicked away again, feeling sweaty and breathless. A nervous chuckle loosened the tightness in his chest. 

Another video. And then another. Every time he got a bit further, stepped a little bit deeper into the pool of gay sex and every time he rushed out when he got too far away from his comfort zone. 

Slowly the embarrassment ebbed away and was replaced by curiosity, followed by interest and finally, arousal. The slack in his boxers filled with his cock, clearly ignoring the confusion that plagued Rhett’s mind. When it became too much, when he couldn’t stop himself anymore, he took care of himself with a quick, trembling hand. 

It was hard to admit even to himself that it was Link he thought about when he came hard with a muffled groan. Link’s body moving under him. Those goddamn hips of his, dancing against his own. Link on his hands and knees on top of the covers looking at Rhett over his shoulder, presenting Rhett with his perfect, tight, little asshole. Link riding him, back arched, skin glistening with sweat, making that sound again as Rhett’s cock hit him deep and right.

The only time Rhett had come that hard was the night before. 

After getting rid of the evidence of his release, Rhett meticulously purged his browser’s history and closed the laptop. 

He’d talk with Link tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

Rhett would’ve lied if he said he wasn’t worried when he drove into work on Monday. They hadn’t spoken since Saturday evening. It was entirely possible that Link would want to act like nothing had happened. Rhett wasn’t exactly sure what he would do if that was Link’s wish. Honor it? Possibly. That _would_ be the right thing to do. 

But he had to try at least. Because after last night’s _investigation_ , Rhett had barely had any sleep. He’d spent half of the night tossing and turning and the other half barely sleeping, waking up sweaty and breathless, chasing the dreams where Link had been naked against him.

Rhett grabbed his uneaten breakfast sandwich from the passenger seat before walking briskly through the building. He stopped at their office door, hand hovering in the air, trying to psyche himself up for a grumpy or—in the worst case—cold Link.

“Morning,” he announced, as he walked in. Link jerked at the false perkiness in Rhett’s voice and his brows furrowed a bit. Rhett cringed internally. _What the hell was that?!_

“Morning…?” Link replied, looking slightly confused. 

He was sitting on the couch, laptop in his lap, but as soon as Rhett stepped further inside, he closed it with a determined click and patted the cushion beside him. “Wanna come and sit with me for a bit?” 

He didn’t sound mad or standoffish or in any way out of the ordinary. He just sounded like Link. But as he waited for Rhett to answer, his bottom lip got sucked between his teeth and worry flashed across his face. Rhett was still trying to acclimate to this unexpected version of him when he rushed to continue.

“You don’t have to! You can sit somewhere else if y—”

“Sorry,” Rhett muttered, finally getting his legs to move. He set his backpack down and sat on the couch, leaving a few inches of space between them. Link gave him a small smile and tucked his hands between his knees.

“No, I’m sorry,” Link said, staring at his legs.

“About?” Rhett asked, turning to look at him. Link glanced at him but his gaze quickly returned back to his knees. 

“I shoulda stayed. On Saturday. You obviously needed to talk and I just…” Link sighed and got back to worrying his lip. 

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. I get it. It was… an uncomfortable situation for you,” Rhett said, reaching towards Link to pat him on the shoulder. Link flinched and Rhett’s stomach sank before his hand did. _He doesn’t want me to touch him._

“No, not uncomfortable!” Link said quickly, seemingly sensing Rhett’s mood shift. His hand landed on Rhett’s thigh and squeezed lightly. “I was— I just needed a moment. To process.”

Rhett nodded, trying very hard to ignore Link’s fingers inches away from his cock. “And?”

“And… what?” Link asked slowly, staring at his own hand—or was he staring at Rhett’s crotch? 

“You processed. What do you think now?”

“Oh!” Link’s head whipped up and there was a faint blush on his cheeks. “Umm… I don’t know?” he said, eyes searching for an answer from the wall in front of them. “It was…”

“Awkward?” Rhett offered with a small smile. Link shrugged. 

“A little bit. At first. But… oh man, I’m definitely bi. Like no question about that,” Link said with a sheepish smile. His deepening blush made Rhett’s cheeks puff up. A knot he hadn’t known was inside him loosened at Link’s words.

“So it was good? Experiment successful?” 

Rhett needed Link to say it. He needed confirmation that it hadn’t just been _him_ that had experienced something spectacular that night. 

Link was staring at him, eyes heavy-lidded and lips slightly parted. Was he thinking about that night? Was he thinking about Rhett’s cock inside his mouth? Rhett’s stomach tightened and he chased away the memories before they could flood his mind and incapacitate him. 

“Yeah,” Link finally sighed. “It was really, _really_ good.”

_Shit, okay. This is good._ There’s a chance. Rhett’s leg started to bounce against the floor. _Ask him!_

“So, um…”

“Yeah?” Link said eagerly, leaning towards him almost imperceptibly.

“Did you talk to Christy?” 

“I did. Did you talk to Jessie?”

“Yup.”

They glanced at each other and as if caught, turned away at the same time. The color of Rhett’s cheeks was slowly starting to match Link’s.

“Link…” 

Rhett had planned on what he wanted to say. He’d even practiced it a few times in front of the mirror last night, garnering delighted laughter and a tight hug from his wife. 

_If you need to explore this side of yourself more, I’m willing to help you._

That was the gist of it at least. Now the words were gone, erased from Rhett’s mind by Link’s words and his hand, still resting on Rhett’s leg. So, instead of his rehearsed, fairly neutral speech he said: 

“Do you want me to fuck you?”

Link’s eyes widened and his hand slipped away. 

“I mean—!” Rhett hurried to add but realized there wasn’t anything else to say. That was it. It might have come out a bit crude, but it was what he’d wanted to ask. 

Link stared at him, jaw slack for a moment more, but then a smile ripped across his face. He doubled over and laughter filled the room. 

“What?” Rhett snapped, his face hot and his armpits sweaty. Link just kept laughing. Rhett got up, stomped to his desk and sat down with a huff.

“Oh, gosh. Oh, no,” Link croaked, still folded over himself, wiping away the tears. “Don’t be mad. I didn’t— I’m not laughing at you.”

“Uh-huh. Seems plausible,” Rhett muttered and scowled at him.

“Well, okay, I kinda am. But! No, wait. It’s only because I had this whole speech…”

Rhett perked up at the last word. 

“…where I was gonna ask you if you were willing to do another experiment with me and I had all these things I was going to say. And then you—” Link paused to gasp for air. “You come along with _can I fuck you_?”

“I didn’t—!” Rhett shot up and turned towards Link, ready to go to war over semantics, but Link just waved his hand placatingly.

“You know what I mean.” He took another deep breath, finally getting his laughter under control. 

“Yeah, Rhett,” he said, softer now. “I want you to fuck me.”

Rhett froze. A wave of heat rushed through his body and settled between his legs. Link was still sitting, looking up at him with tear-glistened eyes and a smile so vulnerable Rhett’s knees almost buckled.

“For real?” he whispered. Link got up, wiped his palms onto his jeans and walked up to him. Rhett watched, wide-eyed and bewildered when Link got on one knee in front of him. Rhett’s hand was snatched and pressed between two slightly clammy palms.

“Rhett James McLaughlin,” Link started voice trembling with emotion, staring up at Rhett. 

The inside of Rhett’s head turned into a wind tunnel. He couldn’t form even the simplest of thoughts. 

But then a playful, little smirk appeared on Link’s face and he continued. “Will you pop my cherry?”

Rhett snorted. Link’s face lit up with the widest of smiles and he poked out his tongue and winked at Rhett. Rhett pulled his hand away and punched him on the shoulder.

“Get up, you dweeb,” Rhett muttered, laughter bubbling up in his chest. “We have an episode to film.”

————

“You know what’s funny?”

“What?” Rhett asked, staring at his laptop, engrossed in an email he’d just received.

“I expected it to be bad. That it would taste weird.”

“What would?” Rhett asked absentmindedly. He was barely listening.

“You.”

It was like mental whiplash; Rhett’s mind dislodged itself and clicked back into place, purging all other thoughts from his brain. He stared at Link with raised eyebrows and a mouth turned into an almost perfect circle. Link was blushing fiercely, but there was a playful twinkle in his eyes. He was doing this on purpose; he was trying to get a reaction out of Rhett. 

“Oh,” was all Rhett managed to get out. Link rubbed his neck—which was the same deep shade of red as his face—and continued:

“But you tasted freaking amazing. Like… I think I could get addicted to it.”

What Rhett heard was “I could get addicted _to you_ ”. 

_God, I want that_ , he thought, suddenly aching all over. _I’d leave this Earth as the happiest man in existence if you did that to me again and again…_

He didn’t say his thought out loud, though. Instead, he coughed, plastered a teasing smirk on his face and said: “Is that so?” He leaned back on the couch, spreading his legs just enough for Link to notice and lifted his hands behind his head. _Two can play at this game._

Link’s eyes widened and he quickly turned to look back at his laptop. The blush in his cheeks grew angry-red and blotchy.

“I mean, ha! Not really. I was just… surprised,” Link mumbled and started tapping on his keyboard with such force that Rhett was worried about it breaking. 

“Anyway, forget I said anything. Back to work,” Link said and threw a quick, imploring glance at Rhett. 

But Rhett couldn’t get back to work. Honestly, the last nine days had been difficult on that front. After Link’s “proposal” they hadn’t talked about the sleepover other than to figure out when it could happen. Rhett had been silently glad that the following weekend had already been booked for both of them. He hadn’t wanted to seem too eager to get into Link’s pants. And due to some other weekend plans later in the month, the Saturday two weeks after their first experiment was chosen, more out of necessity than want. The plan had been quickly approved by their wives and the date was set. 

That had been the easy bit. The hard part was spending two weeks in the same space as the man he was scheduled to fuck. 

Concentrating on work was a bit difficult when Rhett’s mind was either filled with the memory of Link’s mouth on him or with the fantasies of _his_ mouth on Link—not to mention other parts of his body that very enthusiastically wanted to be both on _and in_ Link. So, Rhett spent his time watching him. 

Like right now. He watched that slender neck slowly turning from red to pink, watched the tight curve of his lips move as he mumbled words under his breath, watched his delicate fingers sweeping across the keyboard. For nine long days, Rhett had been a good boy. And nine days was apparently one day too long. 

The need in him was like a beast rising from hibernation. It roared to life, setting Rhett’s insides on fire and turning off the filter in his brain that separated work and… _the other things_.

“You know…” he started, straightening his arm on the back of the couch, effectively wrapping it around Link’s shoulders. Link glanced at him with an arched brow.

“It’s a bit unfair I didn’t get to keep my promise.”

“Promise?” Link asked, voice hoarse before swallowing visibly.

“That I’d return the favor. That I’d suck you off.”

Link’s eyes unfocused and Rhett watched his pupils dilate. He moved his hand so that his fingers brushed softly against Link’s shoulder. Link shivered, twisted away from the touch and shot up from the couch.

“That’s not— You don’t…” he stammered, chest rising and falling quickly. He was tugging on the hem of his t-shirt as if that could hide the unmistakable bulge in his pants.

_Hmm. That didn’t take much…_ Rhett licked his lips as his own cock started to awaken. He didn’t do it on purpose, but to Link, it probably seemed like he did. Link’s gaze flitted to his lips. He took a step back and scowled at Rhett.

“We’re _at work_ ,” he hissed, looking more than scandalized. Rhett shrugged.

“It’s late. There’s barely anyone else in the office. Also, the door locks…”

“ _Rhett_ ,” Link whined and grabbed a fistful of his own hair, glancing at the door that was ajar and then back at Rhett. He looked torn and Rhett hated himself a little because it just made him harder. 

He got up from the couch and walked to Link, crowding him, moving them both towards the door. Link’s back slammed against it, clicking it closed behind him. He was staring up at Rhett, hands shakily pressed on his chest. A small whimper fell from his lips when Rhett bent down and nosed under Link’s ear, smelling his sweet, manly scent and breathing in his warmth. The full-body shivers his closeness drew from Link almost made him moan.

“You wanna lock that door?” he murmured into Link’s ear, lips brushing against the shell of it. 

“What about—?” Link gasped with a shaky voice. “W—we… Don’t you think we should talk with—?”

“Jessie is fine with this. Christy is fine with this. They literally suggested that we spend a night together.”

“But…”

“If you want me to stop, I will,” Rhett said and stepped back, giving Link literal room to think. “But if you want me to go on…” Rhett nodded towards the lock. 

Link’s hand moved torturously slowly to fumble for the lock. The sound of it clicking to place made Rhett’s cock jump excitedly, and he rushed forwards to press his lips onto Link’s flushed skin right below his ear. Rhett wedged his thigh between Link’s legs and Link’s body met him greedily, rutting his erection against Rhett’s leg. 

A soft touch of Link’s palm against Rhett’s neck almost sent him tumbling towards Link’s parted lips but he was thwarted by Link pushing him away again.

“Rhett,” Link said, paused to swallow, still clearly at least somewhat unsure. “You don’t have to do this. I know I kinda tricked you into making that promise. I wasn’t serious. I didn’t think you’d actually—”

Rhett’s hand slipped between them, taking the place of his thigh, and palmed Link’s hardness through his jeans. Link’s voice fell away and his eyes flitted closed. Rhett did his best to wrap around Link’s shaft through the fabric.

_God, he’s a big boy…_

Rhett took a deep breath and paused to listen to his body’s reaction. Even though touching Link had been basically the only thing in his mind for the last week and a change, he still expected some level of resistance. A minor freak out. Some part of his mind or body saying ‘no, this is not for us’. But there was nothing. Just the roaring need to fill his mouth with Link. To taste him. To make him lose his mind a little bit, like he’d done to Rhett. 

“A-aa-aah,” Link moaned shakily as Rhett continued to work his cock through his pants.

“You think I’d do this if I didn’t want to?” Rhett asked, huffing out a low chuckle. 

“But you’re not—”

“Into guys?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s just call this an experiment,” Rhett said and got down on his knees.


	7. Chapter 7

“Is that what you’re gonna wear?” Jessie’s voice stopped Rhett as he was coming down the stairs. She was sitting on the couch, frowning at Rhett. Rhett looked down at his black Mythical t-shirt and sweats. 

“What’s wrong with ‘em?” he asked, confused.

“Isn’t that a bit… casual?” 

“It’s comfy,” Rhett said with a shrug. He wasn’t sure what she was trying to imply. 

He descended the stairs and walked up to her. Jessie yanked on the hem of his t-shirt and looked at it disapprovingly. Rhett ducked down to give her a kiss which she accepted before pushing him back towards the stairs.

“Go put on that new button-up. The green one. Makes your eyes pop. And change into jeans,” she told him and turned back towards the TV.

“Um, why?” 

Jessie’s gaze returned to him and she tilted her head. “Don’t you wanna look good for him?”

Rhett’s cheeks pinkened. “He knows what I look like,” he stammered defensively, staring down at his clothes he’d just thrown on after his shower.

“More reason to put in a little extra effort,” Jessie said. “Go on now.”

Rhett trekked back upstairs and changed his clothes, feeling slightly ridiculous. They were gonna be on the floor of the house sooner or later, why bother? He stopped at the mirror before leaving the bedroom to fix his hair. A quick glance at his new outfit made him admit that Jessie was right. He looked damn good in this shirt. Looking good for Link just had never even occurred to him. Would he care? He probably wouldn’t even notice. A strange, little stab at his heart followed the thought, but he brushed it off as indigestion. 

“I’m going now,” he hollered as he grabbed his little overnight bag before heading to the front door. Jessie stopped him there to give him a hug and one more quick kiss. Rhett held her, smelling her familiar scent. She smelled like home and comfort. She was his sanctuary. And the way she was handling everything that was happening now with Link… Rhett was blown away by her kindness and ability to be so selflessly supportive. She’d even given Rhett some great pointers after he’d told her about the office blow job earlier that week. 

When she tried to step away, Rhett pulled her tighter and buried his face into the crook of her neck. 

“You okay there, big guy?” Jessie whispered, a smile coloring her voice as she gently rubbed Rhett’s hunched back.

“Yeah,” Rhett muttered. “Are _you_ okay?” 

“What do you mean?” she asked back, clearly feigning ignorance. Rhett dragged himself away from her warmth and looked her in the eyes, once again searching for even the smallest hint of discomfort.

“You know what I mean.”

After all these years, her smile still made him feel lighter. She reached up to pinch his cheek. “Yes, I’m okay. Now go make your man happy.”

“He’s not my—”

“Go!”

She chased him out with a playful butt slap and that same smile that had made Rhett fall in love with her decades ago.

— — —

Just like two weeks ago, Link was already at the house when Rhett drove in. He parked his car, jumped out and basically jogged to the door. His heart was hammering when he walked inside and announced himself with a cheeky, “honey, I’m home!”

“In the kitchen!” Link yelled back. Rhett’s good mood immediately took a beating—Link sounded like he was in distress. Rhett dropped his bag onto the floor and rushed into the kitchen. Link was standing with his back turned and making huffs and puffs that could only be described as dad noises.

“What’s wrong?”

“This daggum bottle!” Link growled. He turned and waved a wine bottle in Rhett’s direction. The mouth and neck of the bottle were visibly scuffed.

“I didn’t realize we don’t have a corkscrew here. Shoulda bought one of those cheaper ones with the twisty corks,” Link grumbled. 

Rhett’s lips quirked into a smile and he walked up to Link. Link gave him the bottle and held out the pocket knife he’d been using to try and get it open. Rhett looked at the knife and then at Link’s hands. Link saw the glance and frowned.

“I’m fine! I can use a knife. It’s just a stupid bit for the show.”

“Mmhmm. Want me to ask Christy about that? Or your father-in-law? Gimme,” Rhett ordered, reaching for the knife. Link relinquished the weapon with a pout and hopped on the counter. He swung his legs, heels tapping lightly against the drawers as he watched Rhett work on the bottle. 

“Christy says hi,” Link said after a moment of silence.

“Hi,” Rhett grunted, trying to get the cork out. He finally had to concede that it was too mangled by Link’s attempts. “Gonna have to push it into the bottle, I think,” Rhett mused under his breath. 

“She’d been here last night. Bought new sheets for the bed. She left other things too. Like… lube and stuff.”

Rhett’s heart missed a beat as a hot wave rushed through his body and the knife slipped from his suddenly trembling hand. Link’s eyebrows rose and he smirked.

“Careful there, McLaughlin. Don’t want you falling into my arms just yet.”

Rhett let out a dry bark of a laugh. “I’m not the one that faints at the sight of blood. Ha! There!” He’d finally managed to pop the cork into the bottle. He looked down at the wine and frowned.

“Should we pour this through a sieve? There are a lot of cork pieces in there.”

“You really think we have a sieve here?” Link asked, laughing. “Just pour, we can fish the pieces out with a fork.” 

When they finally had mostly-corkless wine glasses in hand, Link smiled nervously at Rhett and clinked their glasses together.

“Dink it.”

“And sink it,” Rhett said, smiling back at him and he took a small sip. Despite the faint taste of cork, the wine was pretty good. Rhett took another sip and watched with widening eyes as Link gulped down almost half the glass in one go.

“Thirsty, huh?” Rhett teased him. Link’s cheeks flamed and he set the glass back on the counter with a resonant clink. He was still sitting on the counter, legs spread apart enough that Rhett could easily wedge himself between them. So, he did. 

Link’s Adam’s apple bobbed and his smile faltered a bit. Rhett set his wine glass on the counter next to Link’s and lifted his hand to run his fingertips along Link’s bottom lip to brush away a drop of wine. Link’s lips parted and he puffed out a small, shaky breath that jolted Rhett’s cock to life. How could something so small could be so fucking sexy, Rhett had no idea. 

Rhett’s fingers moved to trace along Link’s chin and jaw, finally ending their journey at the nape of his neck, slowly rubbing the sensitive skin at his hairline. Link shivered at the touch.

“How do you wanna do this then?” Rhett asked, voice low and gravelly.

“You know,” Link said, squirming under Rhett’s light touch. “Just… fuck me.” It was almost a plea. Almost like begging, and it made blood rush to Rhett’s dick.

“Here? Against the counter?” Rhett asked, pressing a teasing kiss against Link’s t-shirt-covered collarbone. Link gasped, possibly more at Rhett’s words than the kiss, and Rhett’s hand dropped from his neck to his lower back. A rough pull brought them chest to chest and drew a small “oh” from Link. Rhett could feel Link’s erection rubbing against his stomach. His hands were slowly moving up and down Link’s legs, his thumbs pressing into the inner thighs, fingers moving closer and closer to his bulge with each pass. Link’s eyes were closed and he was breathing through an open mouth. 

“Well?” Rhett asked, when he got no answer.

“No. Not here. Bed,” Link mumbled. Rhett tried to step away to move the night along, but Link’s hands shot up and he pulled Rhett back to him. 

“Not yet,” Link said.

“You wanna drink the rest of your wine?” Rhett asked. Link’s hands were sliding up his chest, rubbing his pecs through his shirt on the way before they ended up around his shoulders.

“No. I don’t want anymore wine. I want—”

Rhett’s hands had found a place on Link’s waist and he paused to marvel at how well they fit around him.

“You want what?” Rhett husked.

“I want you to kiss me,” Link whispered. Rhett’s gaze jumped to Link’s face. 

“What?” he asked, his mouth suddenly dry despite the just-sipped wine. Link’s eyes shone in the low light of the kitchen and he licked his lips before answering.

“Isn’t it a bit weird that we haven’t? I mean, your cock’s been in my mouth and I came inside yours, but we’ve never…” Link’s words died on his lips and he shrugged, looking embarrassed over his request.

Rhett wasn’t sure why he was so hesitant to do this. He’d come here tonight, more than ready to stick his dick inside Link’s asshole but kissing him? For some reason, that scared him more than anything.

“A little weird, yeah,” he murmured, trying to buy some time. 

_Man up, McLaughlin, and kiss the guy!_

Rhett took a deep breath, readying himself. Link cupped his face and slowly ran his fingers through his beard, sending pleasant tingles down his spine and up to the crown of his head. It brought back a vivid memory of how it had felt when Link had held onto Rhett’s hair when Rhett was sucking him off at the office. The memory of Link’s cock filling his mouth combined with his proximity now was making Rhett dizzy.

“This felt pretty dang amazing down there,” Link said, tangling his fingers into Rhett’s beard and tugging it gently to pull him closer. “I wanna know how it feels up here.” 

Link’s gaze flicked from Rhett’s eyes down to his mouth and his tongue peeked between his lips to wet them. Rhett felt himself being pulled to him like they were magnetized. A small part of him feared this would change everything. Another part, a long-dormant one, whispered that deep down he’d always known this was going to happen eventually.

Rhett saw Link’s eyes widen before he closed his own and brushed their lips together. Link’s mouth opened, filling Rhett’s with the taste of wine and mint and _Link_. The soft touch of Link’s lips set him on fire. He was dying a slow death, scorched by the pyre of realization that this was what had been missing from his life. 

The epiphany was too much. His chest was crushing under the weight of it. Rhett had to pull away before he’d get totally consumed by it. He was thankful for the counter he could lean against because his legs had somehow turned into jello.

“Is that what you wanted?” Rhett asked, trying to pull his lips onto a casual smile. It was a shaky one at best, but maybe Link wouldn’t notice.

Link’s eyes fluttered open and he licked his lips slowly as if savoring the taste Rhett’s kiss had left there. Rhett realized he was gripping Link’s waist too hard and one by one, forced his fingers to relax.

“It was alright,” Link said, corner of his lips tugging up. “Nothing to write home about.”

Rhett scoffed. “Excuse me?”

“You call that _a kiss_? That’s how you kiss a cousin,” Link said, eyes twinkling with mischief. Rhett snorted.

“Wow. Your relationship with your cousins must be radically different from mine,” Rhett said, arching his brow. Link just shrugged and smiled that teasing smile of his. Rhett knew what he was doing, but it was impossible not to fall for it.

“Fine. If you think that was weak, let me show you a real kiss,” he huffed and cupped Link’s face. The flash of elation on Link’s features punched the air out of Rhett’s lungs and he had to take a deep breath before diving into another kiss.

Rhett moved in fierce and determined to kiss Link’s socks off. Their mouths slotted together and Rhett’s thumb slowly brushed along Link’s chin as he licked his way into Link’s mouth. Link’s tongue met him halfway and with soft sweeps, Rhett coaxed it into his own mouth and gave it a long, soft suck. A breathy moan rumbled out of Link’s throat and he grabbed a fistful of Rhett’s shirt to pull them closer. Link’s legs wrapped around Rhett’s hips and Rhett’s hand dropped to Link’s lower back to pull him closer to the edge of the counter. Rhett imagined that he could feel Link’s cock throbbing through his jeans, just as his was.

When they finally parted, Link was staring at him, his lips slippery and deliciously pink, eyes blown black and his whole body keening towards Rhett.

Rhett’s breath caught. Link was beautiful. He’d always been beautiful.

“How about that then?” Rhett asked, breathless. Link swallowed down hard and nodded. 

“Better,” he whispered, eyes never leaving Rhett’s lips.

“Bed?” Rhett offered with a hopeful and lust-filled voice. 

“Yeah,” Link sighed. “Let’s go.” 


	8. Chapter 8

Link hopped down from the counter and took Rhett’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Rhett followed him into the middle room, unabashedly staring at Link’s ass swaying in his tight jeans. 

“There’s um…” Link said with an uncertain chuckle. Rhett turned to look at their nap corner and let out a low whistle.

“Wow. Christy really went above and beyond.”

The bed was made with new, cream-colored sheets that shone in the soft lamplight filtering through the thin linen curtain. There was a new, fluffy blanket neatly folded at the foot of the bed and a few plump pillows thrown on top of the old ones. The shelf over the head of the bed, where they usually kept their phones—or in Link’s case, his glasses—was filled with chunky candles. 

A small basket was tucked between the pillows. Rhett reached for it and curiously rummaged through the contents. A lighter, two types of lube, one of them flavored— _what does she expect us to do with that?!_ —condoms, tissues, and a Gatorade.

Rhett burst into laughter and picked up the bottle.

“Really? Does she think we’re gonna need this?”

Link shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “I think it’s a joke,” he said. Rhett shook his head, still laughing and set the basket on the floor next to the bed. He eyed the row of candles.

“Do you wanna light those or is that gonna be a fire hazard?” he asked, rubbing his beard. 

“I don’t know. Isn’t that a bit too…?”

“Too what?” 

“Romantic?” Link blurted out, blushing.

“Oh, don’t you mean _cinematic_?” Rhett asked with a wink but continued. “I think it would be nice. The ceiling light is kinda annoyingly bright.” 

It was true, but not the reason why Rhett suggested lighting the candles. It probably wouldn’t have occurred to him on his own, but now that the candles were here, fucking Link in candlelight sounded more than appealing. 

“Okay, I’ll light ‘em,” Link said, reaching for the lighter. Rhett grabbed it before he could. “Tsk, tsk. No fire-starting objects for you.” He climbed on the bed and lit the candles as Link mumbled something about Rhett being ridiculous.

When Rhett was done and the room was bathed in a soft, flickering light, Rhett sat on the bed, with his back against the wall and beckoned Link over with a crooked finger. Link was already crawling towards him and settled on Rhett’s lap, straddling his thighs. His arms wrapped around Rhett’s shoulders and he dove into a kiss so fast that Rhett’s head thumped against the wall. They giggled into each other’s mouths but kept going.

Now that they were kissing, Rhett realized he never wanted to stop. Link’s mouth was warm and responsive and his tongue did things Rhett could have never even attempted with his own. It didn’t take long for both of them to be breathless and impossibly hard.

Rhett’s hands were under Link’s shirt, climbing up to feel the ripple of his muscled back as he moved against Rhett. Link’s hips tilted and swirled and rubbed them together. The sweet friction dulled by their jeans was the worst tease Rhett had encountered in years. He needed to feel Link, feel his skin against his own—warm and slippery and real—but he couldn’t stop kissing him long enough to undress. 

“You look so fucking hot in this shirt,” Link muttered against Rhett’s lips—words partially muffled by Rhett’s inability to stop kissing him—and started popping open the buttons. His hands were trembling as he fumbled against Rhett’s heaving stomach, too close to Rhett’s aching cock not to be touching him there. Rhett bucked against him and groaned a needy “get it off!” 

Link pried their lips apart, trying to concentrate on the buttons, but Rhett kept reaching to suck and lick Link’s neck, distracting him. A button ripped off and pinged somewhere on the floor. Rhett couldn’t have cared less because the shirt was finally open and Link’s soft hands were rubbing up and down his chest and stomach and tickling his sides.

Rhett squirmed under Link’s exploration, eyes screwed closed, mouth open to draw in quick breaths. 

“I need more. Need to feel you,” Rhett mumbled and reached blindly for the hem of Link’s t-shirt. “Off,” he pleaded, yanking on it. Link lifted his hands and twisted and turned as Rhett tried to pull the shirt over his head. It caught on Link’s glasses, whipping them off and onto the bed. 

“Shit,” Link gasped, reaching for them, but Rhett snatched them and set them on the shelf above. 

“Wanna see those pretty eyes when I fuck you,” Rhett said, trying to ignore the tremble in his voice. Link made a desperate throaty sound, surging down to kiss him fiercely.

There was a short scrimmage over who got to open the other one’s fly first. Link won and dragged down both Rhett’s jeans and his underwear low enough to fish out Rhett’s touch-starved cock. The waistband of Rhett’s boxer briefs dug in uncomfortably to the root of his dick, but he barely noticed, because Link had spit on his hands and was double-fisting Rhett with slow, tight strokes that sent jolts of pleasure all the way down to his toes. Rhett’s head fell back and he let out a rumbling groan, rolling his hips to fuck himself into Link’s magical touch.

But it wasn’t Link’s fists he’d come here to fuck. Even though it pained him, he pulled Link’s hands away from his dick. Link let out an annoyed huff and reached for him again, but Rhett gently slapped his hands away.

“No, baby, it’s your turn,” he murmured and pushed Link off of his lap. Link fell backwards on the bed and started fumbling at the buttons of his jeans. Rhett hopped out of the bed, shrugged off his open shirt and peeled off his pants. 

Link had gotten his jeans open and was on his back, shimmying out of them when Rhett leaned over to help. Link’s swollen cock smacked against his navel as his underwear slipped down his legs and Rhett’s mouth watered. Link’s clothes joined the pile with Rhett’s on the floor, and Rhett crawled on top of him. 

Link’s breathing was fast and shallow and he was staring up at Rhett with wide eyes. Warmth filled Rhett’s chest and he brushed off a stray curl of hair from Link’s forehead before ducking down to kiss his neck. Link’s head fell to the side, revealing more taut skin for Rhett to nibble on. He could feel the vibrations of Link’s moans on his lips.

“Feels good.” Link’s voice rumbled from above. His hands were trailing along Rhett’s back, fingers caressing the length of his spine and finally, digging into his waist to pull them closer. Rhett sunk his teeth into Link’s shoulder and rolled his hips against Link’s. Link cried out as Rhett’s wet cockhead rubbed along his hard shaft. Link’s cock was like an iron rod straight from the furnace, it felt almost too hot against Rhett’s skin.

“Holy fuck,” Rhett muttered against Link’s neck as his vision blurred from the pleasure. 

“Do that again,” Link begged, squirming under Rhett, trying desperately to replicate his move. Rhett gladly obeyed, slowly rocking his hardness against Link’s. Link whimpered with every roll of Rhett’s hips. Rhett spread his wetness over Link’s cock and for a few sweet moments, they enjoyed the delicious friction created by their cocks sliding against each other. 

Rhett got lost in the motion, burning pleasure filling his gut. He could easily come like this, he realized just in time and eased off. Link let out a disappointed whine. His hands left Rhett’s waist and dipped down to squeeze his ass—hard.

“Hands off,” Rhett ordered playfully. “ _Yours_ is the one getting ravaged tonight.”

Link ignored Rhett and kept kneading his ass, a teasing smirk ghosting on his lips.

“Oh, is that how you wanna play this?” Rhett said and then he was moving. Link yelped and giggled as Rhett grabbed his hands with a growl and pushed them over Link’s head. Without much effort, he held onto Link’s wrists with one hand, pressing them against the mattress. They were almost nose to nose when he saw Link’s eyes glazing over and felt the air escaping his lungs.

“ _Oh._ ” Rhett’s lips quirked into a wicked grin. “Is this what you like? You want me to manhandle you? Makes sense. You did always love wrestling with me…”

Link’s face turned crimson and he moaned out a humiliated, whimpery “ _please_ ”. Grinning, Rhett snaked his other hand between their bodies. He wrapped his fingers around Link’s shaft and squeezed. Link’s hips rose to his touch and in a fit of blinding lust Rhett flipped him over. Even though Rhett had let go of his hands, Link didn’t move them, he just pressed his face against the sheets and trembled beneath Rhett’s rough hands.

Rhett rose up to straddle Link’s thighs and stared greedily at his bare bottom. 

“Let’s get that rump up, shall we?” He dug an arm under Link’s hips and lifted his ass up, settling him onto his knees, face still pressed against the bed. Link was breathing hard enough for Rhett to hear it, but he didn’t move from the position Rhett had arranged him in. Heat pooled into Rhett’s gut as he stepped down from the bed, grabbed the lube bottle from the basket and returned to admire Link’s perfectly pert little ass.

“Isn’t that a pretty sight?” Rhett muttered, voice rough with want. He reached to stroke Link’s lower back, making Link jerk at the sudden touch.

“Rhett,” Link moaned against the sheets. Rhett’s hand moved to his ass and squeezed. He let out an appreciative hum when he got a glimpse of Link’s rosy-colored, clean-shaven pucker. _Does he always wax his ass or did he do that just for me?_

Rhett’s cock was throbbing and he gave it a few slow strokes before squeezing himself hard, hoping to calm his raging erection at least a little. He wasn’t about to blow his load before he got onto the field. 

“I really should’ve made you put a plug in before coming tonight. Coulda just popped that off and go straight into fucking you hard.” The thought made Rhett’s cock leak and smear pre-cum onto his thigh.

“Rhett.” Link’s voice came again, smaller this time and somehow strangled. 

Rhett’s lust cleared at the strange cadence of Link’s voice. Now that he wasn’t so single-mindedly concentrated on getting inside that sweet ass, Rhett realized that Link’s thighs were shaking.

“Link?” he asked tentatively. There was no answer.

Rhett leaned over him, propping his knee on the bed and touching Link’s back lightly. “You okay?”

Link turned his head, facing away from Rhett. Worry pressed down on Rhett’s chest and he pulled his hand away. But that seemed to be the wrong move because Link let out a hurt whimper and tucked his knees against his chest and turned onto his side.

Rhett got down on the bed next to Link, inched closer to him until they were front to back and wrapped his arm around Link’s chest.

“Hey, bo. What happened? Did I hurt you?” Rhett asked, desperately hoping for a no. He caressed Link’s arm with his fingertips and waited with his heart in his throat.

Slowly, Link relaxed into Rhett’s touch and let Rhett gently coax him around.

“No, you didn’t.” Link’s small voice finally put Rhett out of his misery and he let out a relieved breath. But Link’s eyes were still screwed closed and he wrapped his arms around Rhett, clinging onto him, hiding his face onto the crook of Rhett’s neck.

“I’m sorry if I got carried away,” Rhett said quietly and held him tightly.

“No, it was—” Link sighed against Rhett’s skin. His breathing was slowing down. “You did everything right. It was like straight out of one of my fantasies. I just…”

“Tell me,” Rhett pleaded, slowly petting Link’s hair.

“I freaked out. I’m not… I don’t even know if— Damn it! It’s stupid.” Link fell silent for a beat. Rhett let him take a moment and just kept threading his fingers through Link’s hair to soothe him.

“Are you just faking this?” Link finally asked so quietly, Rhett almost missed it.

“What?” 

Link burrowed deeper into Rhett’s embrace and let out a shaky breath. 

“I’m worried that you don’t actually want me. That you’re just acting because I asked you to do this for me.” 

“I—” Rhett started. He paused to nudge Link out of his hiding place. When the blue eyes were watching him warily, Rhett continued:

“Link, I _want_ you. You asked me if I was into guys. And honestly, I still don’t have an answer for that, but what I do know… I am into _you_.”

Link bit his lip. He still didn’t seem convinced so Rhett gently pushed him onto his back and propped up on his elbow. Link’s body stretched out next to Rhett, lean and taut, skin colored warm orange by the candlelight. He was a masterpiece of hard angles and soft curves, and Rhett had to take a shuddering breath before he could continue talking. Link was staring up at him, studying Rhett’s features, trying to read if he was serious. 

“You are…” Rhett whispered and started at Link’s jawline, caressing it with his fingertips before curving down to his neck, etching along his clavicles and then down, down, down, all the way to the trail of soft hair guiding him between Link’s legs. Rhett made a note of Link’s arm hair raising into goosebumps. Link took a shaky breath as his whole body quivered under Rhett’s wandering touch.

“…a gift. I mean, Jesus fucking Christ, this body of yours is _a gift_ and I still can’t believe you’ve given me the chance— That you trust me enough to let me experience it like this. That I get to touch you like _this_ —” Rhett’s fingers wrapped around Link’s shaft and stroked slowly. Link’s mouth opened to a silent moan and his back arched off the bed. Rhett licked his lips, feeling the need that had plagued him for days.

“I got to taste you. Got to make you come. And that was… _Fuck_ , I’ll never stop thinking about that. Everything about that is permanently etched in my memory. How you felt on my tongue, silky smooth and soft and hard and filling me so fucking perfectly. How you touched me to guide me—so adorably nervous and still somehow determined to take what you needed from me. The way you sounded when you came. _God._ I’ll take that sound to the grave with me.”

The small—almost shy—smile Link gave Rhett made something in his chest flutter. He ducked down to kiss along the same path his fingers had traveled. Link’s chest heaved under his lips and Rhett stopped to slowly lick and suck on his nipple, reveling in the noises his mouth was capable of pulling from Link. The softness of Link’s belly invited Rhett to nuzzle into it and he breathed in the faint tropical scent of his body wash. 

“Mmmh. I want this. I might even want this more than you do,” Rhett muttered against Link’s warm skin as he nibbled his way down to the base of his cock. Rhett’s stomach clenched as the thought occurred to him. This was like research for Link. Something he’d decided he wanted to experience once and then he’d be done with it. Done with Rhett. Rhett tried to ignore the pain stabbing at his chest as he wrapped his lips around the head of Link’s cock and swirled his tongue around it, tasting the pre-cum.

“Rhett,” Link gasped, fingers already tangling into Rhett’s hair. Rhett backed up an inch, freeing his mouth.

“Shhh, let me take care of you. Let me make sure you’ll remember this with fondness.”

Link had no time to answer in words, only in pleasured moans, as Rhett dove to suck on his dripping cock. He took his time, palm gently placed on Link’s stomach to feel his abs tighten and release. Rhett closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of Link inside his mouth. His softness against Rhett’s tongue. The taste of him that still made Rhett dizzy and aching. It was like someone had turned sex and lust and joy into something tangible and glazed Link’s dick with it. Rhett salivated as the taste coated his tongue and he dove further and further until his nose brushed against the hairs at the base of Link’s cock. Link’s hips trembled as he clearly fought the need to thrust deeper into Rhett’s throat. 

Rhett released him with slow, soft kisses and waited for Link to lift his head and peek down at him to see why he’d stopped. When he did, Rhett slipped two fingers into his mouth and pulled them out dripping with saliva. Link’s eyes widened as he reached for a pillow to tuck under his lower back and Rhett pushed Link’s legs wider apart for better access.

“There you are,” he murmured and circled Link’s rim with the pads of his slicked-up fingers. Link’s legs twitched at the soft touch and he let out a small gasp. Rhett peppered sweet kisses along the inside of Link’s thigh and kept teasing Link with his fingers. He was soon glistening-wet and looked almost good enough to eat. Link’s breath quickened audibly and his hips started shifting, rolling against Rhett’s exploring fingers.

“Come on,” he finally moaned. “Need you in me.”

Rhett smiled and bit his lip not to laugh from sheer happiness. The elation he felt as he slowly pushed one finger inside Link’s ass made him light-headed. 

“This okay?” Rhett asked and got a firm nod as a reply before Link’s head thudded back against the sheets. Slowly, Rhett moved deeper, coaxing Link to relax both with small rubbing motions he hoped would feel pleasant and a litany of encouragement whispered against Link’s thigh, where he’d laid his head down.

“You feel amazing.”

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

“Come on, baby, moan for me. Tell me when it’s good.”

Link was tight—tighter than anything Rhett had ever experienced and he couldn’t help but let worry flash across his mind. _What if this doesn’t work? What if I hurt him? What if he hates it?_ He tried to push away his fears and concentrate on studying how Link’s body responded to him. Link was panting and moving his hips in needy rolls. There was the odd curse word, but mostly, he didn’t speak much. 

It took a little while and a good amount of lube, but eventually, Rhett was fucking Link with two fingers. He’d found a spot that seemed to elicit more enthusiastic wriggling and nodding and soft, little _yeah_ s repeated under Link’s breath. Rhett was so intensely fixated on gathering more and more of those little breathy begs and pleas, that when Link suddenly spoke, he startled. 

“I gotta tell you something,” Link said, voice hoarse. Rhett’s heart missed a beat and all of his worries jumped back onto the center stage of his mind.

“Yeah?” he asked tentatively.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed—” Link groaned and took a deep breath. “But your fingers are inside my ass.”

As relief flushed through him, Rhett burst into a belly-wobbling laughter. Link was smirking at the ceiling with his eyes closed.

“Well, would you look at that. How did this happen?” Rhett said, feigning surprise and giving Link’s thigh a playful nibble that made him squeak and shiver.

“And you know what?” Link said, arching his back and pressing harder against Rhett’s fingers, effectively fucking himself onto them.

“What?”

“It feels _fucking_ amazing.”

Rhett’s face flushed hot and he pressed it against Link’s leg, smiling like an idiot. 

“Yeah?” he confirmed.

“ _Oh, yeah_.”

The need to kiss Link took over so suddenly it left Rhett faint and aching. All Rhett could think about was getting his lips on Link’s. He crawled up the bed, fingers still firmly lodged inside Link, pulling Link closer. Thankfully, Link caught on quickly and pulled Rhett in with both hands. 

It was the kind of kiss that starts slow and turns urgent. They burned bright against each other, heads in the clouds and minds comfortably numb to anything else than each other.

Their arms tangled as Link found his way between Rhett’s legs and stroked his forgotten cock back to life. They breathed in each other’s thirst and somehow, without them really trying, their bodies slotted together and started moving in sync, grinding against each other. 

“I want you so bad,” Link mumbled against Rhett’s lips. Rhett was sucking on Link’s bottom lip and only let go of it to whisper back, “me too.” His unoccupied hand groped around the bed for the lube he’d left behind when he’d rushed to kiss Link.

“What are you doing?” Link whined when Rhett’s fruitless search made his fingers slip out of Link. 

“Need to add lube,” Rhett murmured and kissed him gently in apology. 

“No more fingers,” Link gasped and pulled Rhett on top of himself. “Fuck me.”

Of course, Rhett had known that this was the next step. He wasn’t _that_ stupid. This is where this whole night had been aiming for. But when Link said those words, it actually hit him. 

He was about to have sex with Link— _with his best friend_. The man he’d grown up with. The man he’d shared his family and his work and his creativity with. The man who’d moved across the country with him. The man he’d cried and laughed and fought with. And now, they would share this too. 

He stared down at Link’s lust-filled, half-lidded eyes in awe, fighting the wave of panic crashing over him.

“O-okay,” he stammered and tried to climb out of the bed. Link clung to him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he growled, eyes almost entirely black and so striking Rhett’s stomach lurched and his hand started to tremble.

“We need a—” Rhett muttered, blushing and feeling like an awkward teenager at his first hook-up. 

“We don’t need a condom. Despite what the fanfic writers dream up, I ain’t getting pregnant. Just fuck me.”

“But what about…?” Rhett asked, feeling even more awkward.

“I’m clean. You?”

“Yeah.”

“Good,” Link groaned, writhing under Rhett in a way that made his dick really fucking happy. “Now stop stalling and stick that thick dick inside me.”

“So crude,” Rhett murmured, smiling to hide his nerves. He’d finally found the lube and was on his knees between Link’s legs, slathering his dick with it, ignoring the shaking of his hands and thighs.

“Gonna go slow,” he said as he pressed his cock against the rim of Link’s asshole. 

“No. Just do it. Like a band-aid,” Link panted and rolled his hips against Rhett. 

Rhett huffed out a laugh at his impatience and shook his head. “You’re so fucking tight, bo. I don’t think I could do that even if I wanted to.”

Link let out an annoyed whine and huffed, “well, do your best.”

That Rhett _could_ do. He guided his cock in with one hand and held onto Link’s waist with the other. It took more force than he’d expected to penetrate him, and when the head of his cock finally slipped inside Link’s tight, wet heat they both gasped out a solemn “ _fuck_ ”. Rhett’s gaze whipped to Link’s face and he found Link’s eyes twinkling with mirth like he imagined his were as well.

“Like I said, kind of a tight fit,” Rhett husked, smiling. Link’s eyes fluttered closed and he nodded emphatically.

“You good?” Rhett asked, before going deeper.

“We’re still good,” Link replied with a lopsided grin. He was no longer pressing against Rhett, though, which told Rhett that he was at least a little bit affected by the increase in size.

Rhett stared at Link’s face as his dick sunk further in. Link’s eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were parted, his bottom lip quivering faintly with every breath. Rhett moved his hand on Link’s stomach and slowly rubbed it to ease the tension as he thrust into Link’s impossible tightness.

“Doing so good, baby. A little more. Can you relax for me, just a little bit.”

Link let out a small pained huff and reached for Rhett.

“Hold me,” he pleaded, voice small and strained. 

Rhett leaned over and took Link’s hand, pressing it against the mattress next to his head, their fingers intertwined. He balanced himself on his elbow, settling chest to chest with Link who wrapped his legs around Rhett’s body. Their breathing synced and Rhett pressed a soft kiss onto Link’s jawline.

“Open your eyes,” he whispered, voice heavy with emotion. “I wanna see those baby blues.”

Link’s eyes opened slowly. Rhett waited for his eyes to focus on him and smiled. Then he pressed himself all the way inside. Link’s mouth opened to a moan and Rhett swallowed down a growl of pleasure. He was totally enveloped by a tight silken heat. _Link’s heat._

They stared at each other for a beat, breathing heavy, eyes wide and amazed.

“I know I’ve never done this before, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to move,” Link muttered, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Rhett huffed out a laugh.

“Smartass,” he whispered, smiling and started to move. It was slow and measured, only small movements at first—partly because he didn’t want to hurt Link and partly because he was afraid he was gonna come at any second. But little by little, Link relaxed under him. The tension left his body and the Link that remained was a moaning, boneless mess under Rhett. Rhett was delighted to find that when Link got going, he got verbal.

“Oh, god, yes,” he moaned. “Just like that. _Fuck,_ right there. You’re so big. Gonna rip me in half with that thick cock. Feels so good… Baby, oh god, _baby_! More. Kiss me. Fuck me. Harder. Need it. Wanna be sore tomorrow. _Rhett, please_!”

Rhett couldn’t have gotten a word in even if he’d tried. But he didn’t mind. He listened to Link babble in ecstasy and fought his impending orgasm. He needed this to go on forever. He wanted to be inside Link forever. He belonged there. The realization burned inside his heart and made him feel weak, made him feel bittersweet. They were always meant to do this. 

Eventually, Link lost his ability to form words. He just whimpered against Rhett’s open mouth. They were nose to nose, rocking into each other. Hands tangled in hair and cupping cheeks and caressing toned arms. Rhett had found a rhythm and an angle that pushed the air out of Link’s lungs with every thrust.

“ _Oh, god, Rhett_. You’re gonna make me come!” Link gasped. 

“ _Please_ , I’m so close. I need to—” Rhett moaned at the same time.

“ _Yes!_ Fuck, yes, please. Fill me up. Mark me. Make me yours,” Link groaned, rolling his hips desperately against Rhett. 

“You’re mine?” Rhett choked out and pressed his forehead against Link’s. Link’s eyes opened and he stared straight into Rhett’s soul as he started to pump cum between their stomachs.

“I’m yours. I’m yours. I’m yours. I’m yours…” Link chanted, almost sobbing, with every twitch of his body, with every spurt of sticky wetness spreading between them. 

Rhett came with a desperate growl. Link’s orgasm squeezed him over and over and over again, making his toes curl, his thighs tremble and his vision swim with stars. Rhett pressed his lips against Link’s and kissed him hard, drinking up the last of his pleasured whimpers.

They shivered in each other’s arms, sweat and cum gluing their bodies together. The candlelight made the shadows on Link’s face flicker ethereal. Rhett stared at him as their breathing slowly returned to normal. 

The crooked smile. The sharp jawline. The long, inky-black eyelashes. The lips he’d kissed raw. The soft pink in his cheeks. The salt-and-pepper hair sticking this way and that.

_I love him._

_I’m_ in love _with him._

_I need to get out of here. Now!_


	9. Chapter 9

Rhett stood in the dark foyer of his home and tried to breathe despite the debilitating ache in his chest.

_I just left him there…_

“Babe? I thought you were gonna stay the night?” Jessie’s surprised voice greeted him from the kitchen. 

Being with Link had been like being in another dimension. Rhett’s mind battled with the attempt to somehow connect everything that had happened there with this reality. 

Rhett went to her, his legs shaking, eyes tingling with tears about to fall. She was leaning against the counter, writing something into a notebook. She turned to look at him right before he slammed against her, wrapped her into a hug and burst into tears. 

“Oh, no, honey! What’s wrong?” she asked, voice filled with concern. “Let’s sit down.”

Rhett was guided into the living room and pulled onto the couch. He curled up against his wife and tried to shed away his confusion in the tears that fell on her t-shirt. Jessie’s hand rubbed his back and she whispered comforting words into his ear. It took a while for Rhett to calm down enough for her to attempt at conversation again. 

“Wanna tell me about it?” she asked, moving her hand to his hair, slowly combing her fingers through it. Rhett sniffled, unsure of where to start.

“Was it—bad?” Her question almost made Rhett laugh. He almost wished it had been. That would’ve been easier to deal with.

“No,” Rhett sighed, finally lifting his face from her chest to look at her. She smiled and wiped away the tears still lingering on his cheeks. 

“It was—” He tried to find the right words to describe it. _Mindblowing? A revelation? So fucking good it hurts?_ He settled on something less dramatic. “Confusing. It was confusing.”

Jessie nodded. “That seems— reasonable,” she said carefully. There was something in her eyes, a flash of an emotion Rhett had no time to read before it was already gone. Nausea washed over him. 

“You know that I love you, right?” he whispered, panicked words rushing out of him. His voice was shaky and congested from his stuffy nose.

“I know. I love you too,” Jessie said calmly, taking Rhett’s hands into her own. She was smiling that smile that usually convinced Rhett everything would be alright. This was the first time he had trouble believing it. Rhett squeezed her hands. She felt so small—delicate and soft. _So different._

“Do you wanna talk about this now or do you wanna sleep on it?” she asked, the angel that she was, somehow always knowing just the thing Rhett needed. Her words dragged his exhaustion to the surface. He felt like falling asleep right there on the couch.

“Honestly, I could sleep,” he mumbled.

“That’s good. Nothing a good night’s sleep can’t make better. Let’s get to bed.”

— — —

Rhett woke up with a headache. He was alone in bed and the sun was peeking between the curtains, hitting him straight in the eyes. With a groan, Rhett turned away from the blinding light and dragged himself up. His throat was dry and his mouth was tacky and tasted weird. He must have not brushed his teeth last night. He racked his brain, trying to remember why that might be, but there was nothing. 

He got up, stretching and padded downstairs in search of breakfast and Advil. The enticing smell of fresh coffee pulled him into the kitchen. It was bathed in the mid-morning light and Rhett had to blink a few times to get his bearings. Jessie and Link were sitting at the breakfast bar, side by side, the morning paper divided into sections between them. Rhett smiled and walked up to Jessie. 

“Morning,” she said, smiling too, as Rhett wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against her exposed neck. Her hair was in a messy top-bun and Rhett burrowed his nose into the fine hairs, sticking out at the nape of her neck, not long enough to stay trapped inside the bun. 

“Morning. You didn’t wake me,” he muttered, feigning hurt. “I coulda had breakfast with you.”

“You needed the sleep,” Jess simply said and took a bite of her toast. Rhett kissed behind her ear and moved over to Link.

“Hey, you,” Link said softly, turning in his barstool to face Rhett. He was wearing a smile so bright it could have easily taken on the sun and won. Rhett slotted himself between his legs and sighed as Link’s arms wrapped loosely around his waist.

“Fess up. You just wanted to eat the rest of the cereal before I woke up,” Rhett teased before ducking down to steal a soft kiss from Link’s lips. Link hummed against him, smiling through the kiss. 

“I’m not confirming or denying that. On a totally different note, we are out of cereal now,” Link said with a smirk. 

“But to be fair, you were so adorable with your wild hair and sleepy whimpers that it felt like a crime to wake you up,” Link continued. “Right, Jess?”

“He was like a little animal in hibernation. Too cute,” Jessie confirmed with a giggle. 

“A little animal?” Link huffed with a laugh. “More like a bear or a moose.” 

“ _A moose?!_ ” Rhett repeated, trying to appear aghast but failing to contain his smile. He poked Link between the ribs and when Link yelped and squirmed, Rhett used the opportunity to press a trail of wet kisses below his jaw.

“Rhett,” Jessie said. Link was giggling and playfully trying to push Rhett away while he offered more of his neck for Rhett to nibble on.

“I’ll show you a moose,” Rhett growled and pulled them closer together.

“Rhett,” Jessie repeated, sounding faintly annoyed.

Link’s arms tightened around Rhett’s body and he tried to turn to see Jessie, but he couldn’t. She was there, next to them. He could sense her, but for some reason, his head refused to turn.

“Rhett.” Jessie’s voice was getting more urgent.

“Jess, I—” Rhett stammered, trying to wriggle his way out of Link’s ever-tightening embrace. Link wasn’t smiling anymore. His brows were furrowed and his gaze was dark and hollow. Rhett’s heart jumped into his throat and he looked away, startled by the change in his mood.

“Rhett!” Jessie cried out. It was like her voice was coming from somewhere far away. She sounded panicked and Rhett’s heart ached for her. He tried to yell back to her, but no sound came out. His mouth opened and only puffs of hissing air escaped between his lips. 

He tried to push Link away, but when he turned towards the figure holding him, he realized it wasn’t Link anymore—it was himself. 

Another Rhett was holding him in an iron-tight grip, grinning at him with a face that was like a perverted version of him. Greying skin drooped down from his face as if it was wax melting and piercing eyes looked at him from too deep in his skull. The grin widened until it was unnatural. Rhett stared, eyes wide and shaking. He’d forgotten to fight back. 

“This is what you do,” the doppelganger said with a gravelly voice and a coughing laugh. “This is what you do, Rhett. Don’t you see?” 

Rhett stared at the man that wasn’t him and tried to breathe, but there was no air left in the room. There was no room left in there either. They stood in a swirling mist of black and blue and Link’s voice came from somewhere far away. “Please, come back,” he cried, a shuddering sob following his words. Rhett was sobbing too, clinging to the tattered shirt of his double, breathing in the sludge they were submerged in. 

“Rhett!” Jess snapped, now from much closer. A hand grabbed Rhett’s arm and shook him. Slowly, the shadow-Rhett disappeared, the sludge vanished from his lungs and finally, Rhett opened his eyes. He was met with a dim bedroom and a worried look on his wife’s face.

“Rhett, are you awake? I think you’re having a bad dream,” she said, brushing hair off of his face. Rhett grabbed her soft hand and pressed it against his chest. He needed it, to keep his heart from thumping out of it. 

“Yeah,” he managed to mutter. 

“Oh, baby. It’s okay. Come here,” Jessie whispered, settled back on the bed and pulled him against her, murmuring a string of quiet, soothing words.

Rhett buried his face into the crook of her neck and breathed in the smell of her. The terror that still lingered in the edges of his mind slowly let go and all that was left behind was an all-encompassing numbness.

“Wanna tell me about it?” Jessie asked quietly.

Rhett took a few deep breaths and with a trembling voice, recounted the nightmare to Jessie. She didn’t say anything, softly petting Rhett’s sleep-tangled curls, until he fell silent again. 

“How did it feel?” she asked after a long silence.

“I mean, it was a nightmare. Obviously, it felt bad,” Rhett scoffed, slightly confused over the question.

“No, I mean before. When you came downstairs and Link was there with me and you—”

“ _Oh_.” Rhett thought back on the beginning of the dream, the bright kitchen and the drowsy calm of a Sunday morning. Suddenly, he was thankful that here, in the real world, their blinds blocked out the morning sun; his blush was probably not too obvious in the dim bedroom.

“It felt…” He tried to find the right word for the sweet ache in his chest.

“Nice?” Jessie offered, voice soft.

“Yeah,” Rhett sighed. “And normal. It felt so ordinary. Just a regular weekend morning. I was—” He paused as the word got caught in his throat. 

_Happy._

The word echoed in his mind and filled him with suffocating panic. His hands were tingling and he took a breath, then another and another, but it felt like his lungs didn’t want to use the oxygen he was trying to supply them. 

“Rhett, baby. Calm down. Breathe with me,” Jessie instructed, her breaths exaggerated to be easy enough for Rhett to follow. He did his best to match his breaths to hers, but his heart hammered on and his spiraling mind was screaming.

_I’m already happy. I’m so happy! Why would I need anyone else than her? I don’t. This is ridiculous. I’m ridiculous. Do I not love her enough? Is that it? Because I do! That’s not possible. My whole heart is hers. There is no room for someone else!_

“Oh, honey. The heart is not a container with predetermined measurements.” Jessie’s voice startled Rhett from his hysteria. 

“Did I say that out loud?” he croaked, embarrassment making his insides squirm. Jessie cupped his face and pressed a firm kiss on his lips. 

“You love me just the right amount. I have no doubt about that. I’ve never doubted that. Not even—” She fell silent.

“Not even when?” Rhett asked, curious and but simultaneously worried about the answer. Jessie sighed and huffed out a laugh.

“Not even when I realized you were in love with Link.”

“I’m not—!” Rhett started, horrified that his secret was no longer a secret, but Jessie’s scowl shut him up.

“ _Don’t._ I’ve known years. Christy too.”

“Christy knows that I love her husband?!” Rhett’s voice broke and he hid his face behind his palms, trying to press the tears back into his eyes. _Can this get any more fucked up?!_ Then the full meaning of Jessie’s words hit him. _Years?_

“How have you known for years, when I only realized it last night?” Rhett asked quietly, still hidden under his hands. Jessie let out a delighted laugh.

“Is _that_ why you came home early last night?” she asked, nudging Rhett’s hands away. He looked at her and nodded sheepishly.

“Aww, baby,” she cooed and kissed Rhett all over his face. “You’re such a dummy. I love you, but _gosh_ , you are a handful and a half.”

“That’s not all…” Rhett said, his throat tightening around a painful lump. Jessie arched a brow, waiting for him to continue.

“I left him there. I just… Right after we— _Christ._ I couldn’t— I freaked out. I got up and… He tried to ask me where I was going and I just got my clothes and walked to the car and— _Jess, I just left him!_ ” His voice broke as the lump in his throat dissolved into a chest-heaving sob. There was no longer any chance of stopping the tears from flowing.

“You said you loved him and then you left?” Jessie asked, sounding a bit shocked. Rhett kept wiping off the tears, but new ones took their place and finally, he just gave up and laid there, tears streaking down his face.

“No,” he whimpered. “I didn’t tell him. Why would I? What good would that do?”

“Rhett James McLaughlin, are you telling me that he has no idea why you left?” Jessie’s voice was tight and she sat up to stare at him from above. Rhett knew he was being scolded. He deserved to be scolded. And more. He deserved to be yelled at, punished and left to lick his self-inflicted wounds in isolation.

“I fucked up. He must hate me. He has to hate me now. How could I do that?” he muttered, hiccuping between the words. He wiped his face, angry at the tears and the snot, and carded his fingers through his hair, pulling on it in desperation.

“Good God,” Jessie sighed and reached for her phone. “We really have to do everything for you two.” She tapped on the screen a few times and lifted the phone up to her ear. Someone answered almost immediately. Rhett propped himself on one elbow, trying to listen in. Who was she calling?

“Yeah, hi,” Jessie said. “Is he home?”

She listened for a beat.

“No, he came home last night. So, he must be at the house still.” 

Rhett recognized Christy’s voice as it grew louder but couldn’t make sense of the words. Jessie sighed.

“I know. He just… Yeah, you were right. Okay. I’m gonna send him back there. Yeah. I’ll call you soon,” she said, ending the call. 

“Link’s still at the house?” Rhett asked quietly. Jessie climbed out of the bed and started throwing Rhett’s clothes on the bed.

“Yes. And you’re going there. Now. And you’re gonna apologize and explain.”

“But—” Rhett started, dodging a sock that threatened to fly straight at his face. Jessie turned, arms crossed over her chest. Her mouth was a thin line and her eyes were shooting daggers at Rhett.

“You’re going,” she simply said.

“Jess, even if I go and tell him… It doesn’t even matter what he has to say. Someone is gonna get hurt regardless.”

“ _God_ , do I really have to spell it out for you?” Jessie sighed, staring at the ceiling. Rhett sat on the bed surrounded by his clothes and tried to figure out what Jessie was saying.

“Clothes!” she barked, making Rhett jump and reach for his shirt. When he was more or less dressed and standing, Jessie walked up to him and pulled him down by his collar.

“Listen to me. You _love_ him. It has nothing to do with your love for me. There is room for both.”

“But—”

“ _There is room for both,_ ” Jessie repeated, more sternly. “There is room for everyone to be happy here. Okay?”

Rhett fell silent. All he heard was his heartbeat and Jessie’s deep breaths.

“ _Everyone?_ ” he asked tentatively.

Jessie nodded, widening her eyes. “Everyone.”

It started slowly, a little stream of warmth, trickling through him. It dried out his tears and turned the despair he’d been feeling to something more like cautious excitement. 

Jessie’s features softened. “Go talk to your man. We’ll figure out the specifics later.”

The stream turned into a rushing river and it engulfed Rhett, filling his chest with dizzying warmth and exhilaration.

“I love you, Jess. So fucking much,” he whispered, voice rough and pulled her into a fierce kiss. When they parted she gently patted his chest. 

“Go make your man happy,” she said with a wink and a soft smile. Rhett didn’t try to correct her this time. 

_My man._

And it hit him then. He’d always known that all of his heart belonged to Jessie. And it still did. But now it was like there was another part of him—a heart beyond that heart—that belonged to Link. 

That had _always_ belonged to Link. 

Now he just had to tell him.


	10. Chapter 10

The closer Rhett got to the house, the more his mood sank. 

Link was probably furious. Who wouldn’t be, after what Rhett had done? Link had every right to be pissed. Rhett could take that. He _deserved_ that and he knew he could handle an angry Link. 

What worried Rhett more was the possibility that Link was hurting. What if he’d been distraught after Rhett left? What if he’d cried himself to sleep? Yelling Rhett could take, but the thought of tears made him feel squirmy and anxious.

The traffic was light since it was only six-thirty on a Sunday morning, so Rhett made good time and parked next to Link’s car right as the sun peeked over the horizon. He killed the engine and sat in the silence of the car for a moment to gather himself.

_You love him._

_You can do this._

_Just tell him._

_What’s the worst that can happen?_

Rhett chose to ignore the last thought and got out of the car. 

He found Link curled up in bed, wrapped in the new blanket, hair a salt-and-pepper halo fanning on the pillow around his head as he slept with his mouth slightly open. Rhett stood next to the bed and stared, his chest filling with warmth and love. Jessie was right. He _was_ an idiot. How could he not have realized that he loved Link? It was so obvious. Just being in the same room with him made Rhett feel calm and happy, made him feel like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. 

Link was achingly beautiful when he slept. Rhett thought back on all the times he’d taken photos of Link asleep on planes and beaches and blushed at the memory. He’d known even then—at least subconsciously. It had all been masked as silly fun, but there was a reason why he loved those photos so much and kept going back to them months after they were taken.

Rhett gingerly sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a curl out of Link’s eyes. He hadn’t meant to wake him up, not really. But it was impossible not to be drawn to him. The need to touch Link was a constant undercurrent in Rhett that he only now could put a name to.

Link scrunched his nose and turned, pressing his face against the pillow with a muffled sigh. Rhett’s heart leaped and he stilled, hoping that Link would fall back asleep. But he groaned and turned again, blinking his eyes open. His gaze focused on Rhett and Rhett braced for whatever was coming. 

“Hey,” Link mumbled, yawning. “You came back.”

Rhett’s apologies died in his throat. Link didn’t sound angry or sad. A little tired maybe, but not in any way emotional. 

This was something Rhett hadn’t prepared for. 

Link stretched his arms above his head and moaned as his joints snapped and creaked away the rust of sleep. Then his eyes found Rhett’s again and he smiled a crooked smile.

“Did ya come for round two, big guy?”

“Um,” was all Rhett could muster before Link grabbed his collar and pulled him into a slow, sleepy kiss. Rhett’s body moved while his mind stood still. He crawled deeper into the bed and Link lifted the blanket, pulling Rhett under it. In no time, Link’s naked body was wrapped around Rhett and he was taking small nibbles out of Rhett’s bottom lip between kisses. 

Link took Rhett’s hand into his own and slipped it between them, encouraging Rhett to palm his awakened cock. When Rhett’s fingers wrapped around his shaft, he sighed into Rhett’s mouth and started slowly rocking into his loose fist.

“Mm,” Link moaned low and breathless. “Want some breakfast? Something salty and filling?”

Rhett’s head was already on its way under the blanket, dizzy and his mouth watering at the thought of getting a taste, when his mind finally caught up. He froze and let go of Link, making him moan in disappointment. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Rhett said, pulling back, catching Link’s eyes. “Time out.”

“Why?” Link whined and bridged the small gap between them, rubbing himself against Rhett. 

“Don’t you want me?” Link continued with a fake pout as his hand found its way between Rhett’s legs and squeezed. Amusement flashed in Link’s eyes and he let out a low chuckle. “Seems like at least a part of you does…”

“Link, stop. We gotta talk,” Rhett croaked, trying to pat away Link’s hands. But Link was persistent and Rhett’s cock was a traitor to their cause, throbbing eagerly into Link’s touch.

“Talking can wait. I found something much more urgent,” Link muttered against Rhett’s lips, licking his way back into Rhett’s mouth, effectively shutting down his mind. Rhett sank into the kiss, not caring about the faint taste of sleep on Link’s tongue. He felt dizzy and heated, fully clothed under the covers and pressed up against a man that was making him feel all kinds of hot.

“Mmh, have I told you how much I love the way you get wet for me?” Link groaned into the shell of Rhett’s ear as his fingers slipped inside Rhett’s pants and brushed against his cockhead, already dripping. 

_Love._ That was the word that snapped Rhett out of his lusty haze. 

“Oh God, stop that, I can’t think!”

Link jerked back, surprised by Rhett’s raised voice. Rhett breathed ragged and fast, trying to calm his racing heart and his traitorous cock. Link’s face fell and his sultry smirk turned into a stormy scowl. 

“Fine. Be like that then,” he muttered, threw away the covers and slid out of bed. 

“Link, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap like that! I just needed… You make me— You fuck up my head!”

“Ha!” Link scoffed, pulling on his pants with angry yanks. “I fuck up _your_ head?! That’s rich, dude. You’re the one that came inside me last night and was out the door while your come was still dripping out of my ass!”

Rhett was choking on the sob that had risen into his throat.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered, getting up. He tried to walk up to Link, hands reaching for him, but Link dodged and snatched his shirt from the floor.

“Whatever, man. I mean, I was confused as fuck and honestly, kinda pissed, but when I saw you just now I thought we could just forget it. Water under the bridge and all that. But no! You want to make it a whole thing?!”

Link’s voice was trembling with anger and his eyes were squinted and dark. Rhett had thought he could handle Link angry—apparently, he’d never seen Link when he was _actually_ mad. 

“Link, please. Can we sit down and talk? I need to tell y—”

“Fuck off, Rhett. I don’t need your fake apologies. I’m going home,” Link spat and stomped into the hallway.

“Link, wait! _I’m in love with you!_ ” 

Silence.

Rhett was panting, shaking from the panic gripping his chest and honestly, a little surprised about how easily the words had fallen from his lips. He sank back onto the bed, feeling drained and strangely light at the same time. 

_At least now he knows._

Link reappeared into the doorway. He no longer looked angry. He looked— _rueful_? Slowly, he walked back into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, about a foot away from Rhett. 

Rhett didn’t dare to look at him. He already knew. He’d known the second he’d seen Link’s face in the doorway.

_He doesn’t love me. Not like that. Not like I do._

Link sighed. The sound was loud in the quiet room and to Rhett, it felt like it drained the air out of it. Suddenly, he had trouble breathing. His chest felt tight and hollow.

“Rhett,” Link started.

“Please, I—” Rhett interrupted him. “We don’t have to do this. I came here to— I came to tell you. Now I’ve done that and— It’s obvious that you don’t…” Rhett had to pause to swallow around what felt like gravel ripping at his throat. “That’s fine. I should’ve known really. You did say that, at the beginning. _If it hasn’t happened in the last 36 years, it’s not gonna happen now._ ”

Link reached for Rhett’s hand. Rhett let him take it but made no attempt at intertwining their fingers. Link just pressed his limp hand between his warm palms and sighed again.

“I’m _so sorry,_ Rhett. I didn’t mean for this to get so—” 

There was heartbreak. And then there was _this_. There was a world newly built crumbling inside Rhett. He felt like he was being ripped apart, turned inside out and painstakingly stitched back together again. He came out at the other end as something else—an aberration of himself. 

He tried to turn his mouth into a smile, but his lips just twitched in defiance. No more smiling. No more warmth. No more the possibility of _more_.

“No worries. Totally my fault,” Rhett murmured, pulling his hand away, already missing Link’s touch. “You know me. Was always girl-crazy. Obviously, I had to go crazy for the first boy that I fell for, too. I’ll get over it.”

Link sniffled.

Rhett almost laughed. This had been the thing he had dreaded when he drove in. Link crying. It came to be, but not at all in the way that Rhett had expected. Was that irony? Rhett was always a bit confused about what that was.

“I don’t love you,” Link whispered, voice wet and weary. Rhett’s insides turned to ice. _Why did he need to say it?_

“I know,” Rhett said, fighting his own tears.

“I don’t love you,” Link repeated, voice more panicked.

“Stop. I get it.” 

_Does he want me to suffer? Because I left him last night? If so, this is just cruel…_

“I don’t love you,” Link said again, voice trembling. He’d turned to look at Rhett, but Rhett couldn’t meet his eyes. Not now, not when Link kept repeating the words that cut Rhett’s heart to smaller and smaller pieces every time Link said them out loud.

“Link, _stop_ ,” Rhett sobbed, wiping his nose on his sleeve and turning his head away from Link.

“I—don’t—love—you.” Every word was like a gut punch and Rhett almost expected blood to trickle from the corner of his mouth. But only tears fell, the pain that was tearing him apart was only real in his mind. 

“Ha, ha,” Rhett feigned a laugh, voice hollow. “Okay, I got it. You got your punches in. I’m already down. Can you stop kicking me?” His voice was barely a whisper.

Link was moving next to him. Rhett knew because the mattress shifted. Suddenly, Link was in front of him, on his knees on the floor. He grabbed Rhett’s face and turned it towards himself.

“ _I don’t love you…_ ” he said again. Rhett met his panicked eyes right as the next word fell from his lips like a plea. “Right?”

Rhett’s heart skipped a beat.

“Wh—what?” he sputtered, eyes widening. Link was still staring at him with glossy eyes and raised brows like he was begging for Rhett to let him out of his misery.

“I don’t— I can’t. It’s not possib— _Rhett, please_ tell me I’m not in love with you!” Link rasped, fingers digging into the sides of Rhett’s head.

Rhett swallowed down a sob and took Link’s face into his own hands. His thumb swiped away an errant tear from his cheek.

“I can’t tell you that. Only you know that,” he whispered, the tiniest morsel of hope sparking inside him. 

“No,” Link groaned and let go of Rhett’s face. He slumped into Rhett’s lap, arms around his waist, head pressed onto Rhett’s stomach. He wept quietly against Rhett’s shirt and kept repeating the word. 

“No—no—no—no—no—no—no.” With every iteration it seemed to mean less, it seemed to be more a lifeline than a word with any kind of meaning. Rhett ran his fingers through Link’s hair and gently scratched his scalp.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, baby. You’re okay. It’s fine. Everything is fine,” he murmured as Link trembled in his arms.

“We have families. _Wives._ I love Christy,” Link sobbed.

“I know, bo. Of course, you do. I love Jess, too,” Rhett said, voice soothingly low. 

“I can’t be in love with you. How—” A hiccup. “How can we go on? I’m not gonna— We can’t get a div— I don’t want you to—”

“Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no. Link, look at me,” Rhett said, finally figuring out the reason for Link’s anguish. Link slowly pulled away from Rhett’s embrace and looked up at him, eyes red and eyelashes stuck together. 

“We can all be happy. _Everyone._ ”

“What?” Link’s voice was muffled by the arm he was wiping his snot-covered face with.

“Apparently, the girls have known—for a while.”

Link stared at him, eyes wide with fear.

“Why would Christy suggest that we…” Link motioned towards the bed before continuing. “If she knew that?” 

That hadn’t actually occurred to Rhett before. But now that Link said it, it all made sense.

Rhett burst into laughter. He wiped his eyes and ducked down to pull Link up into his lap and into a teary kiss.

“They did this. _Goddamn_ , those sneaky little… They planned this! Nudged us together. Our wives played freaking Cupids for us. _God,_ I don’t think I’ve ever loved Christy more than right now.”

“Hey!” Link gasped. Rhett laughed and kissed him again.

“Not like that, you dumbass.”

“Hmph.” Link frowned but leaned back for more kisses. And then some more. And more. And more. And soon, they were a tangle of limbs reclining onto the bed, and clothes were getting pulled off and thrown onto the floor.

“They want this?” Link breathed into Rhett’s neck. 

“Uh-huh,” Rhett hummed, kissing his way down Link’s bare chest.

“And you want this? _Want me?_ ” Link asked, fingers tangling into Rhett’s hair.

“Yeah,” Rhett replied and sucked a purple bloom onto the skin stretched over Link’s hip bone.

“And we’re all going to be happy. _Together?_ ” Link choked out as Rhett pulled down his boxers, revealing Link’s throbbing erection.

“Yes,” Rhett said emphatically, heart filling with joy as his mouth filled with Link’s cock. 

“I love you. I think I’ve always loved you,” Link gasped between moans, squirming under Rhett’s heated—and healing—touch.

“I love you, too. Now shut up and let me make up for last night.”


	11. Epilogue

Jessie stepped from the artificial coolness of their home out to the dry heat of an L.A. evening. The sun was already low, their new pool throwing back its orange and red glimmers as two men—supposedly in their forties but acting like the kids they still often felt inside—splashed around in it.

“Thank you, hun,” Christy said as Jessie handed her a drink. Her tongue peeked out between her lips to lick off the salt from the rim of the glass before she took a long sip and let out a satisfied sigh. 

Jessie sat onto the deck chair next to her and drank from her own glass. Christy settled back onto a recline and fanned herself slowly with her hand. It was more for show than to actually cool her down. 

“Should we go for a swim, too?” Jessie asked, looking at the whirlpools forming onto the surface of the water as the guys dove to chase each other at the bottom of the pool.

“Maybe later,” Christy decided and took another sip.

Link scrambled up from the pool and shook his hair like a dog, eliciting a sharp “hey!” from both women. He smiled sheepishly before padding to the grill that was throwing off more heat into their little backyard paradise. 

Rhett lifted himself to sit on the edge of the pool and asked about the food. Link opened the grill and took the tongs to haphazardly poke around which prompted Rhett to get up in a hurry to save their dinner.

Jessie closed her eyes and smiled as she listened to their husbands bicker about the correct way to flip a burger. Her mind drifted off to the project she was working on, an interior design for a friend’s new office. She still needed a larger piece of art on one of the walls. Maybe she could go next week and check out a few galleries. A small poke on her side brought her back to the present. 

Jessie opened one eye and glanced at Christy. She’d pulled down her sunglasses, balancing them on the tip of her nose as she watched something with a soft smile.

“Look,” Christy whispered, nodding towards their husbands. Jessie opened both of her eyes and turned towards the grill. Rhett had his arms around Link’s waist. Link’s palms rested lightly against Rhett’s chest and he was on his tip-toes, reaching for Rhett’s lips. The kiss was tender and sweet. A warmth bloomed inside Jessie’s chest as they parted and Rhett glanced at her with flushed cheeks and a shy smile. 

“I can’t believe our plan worked,” she said with a smirk, sending her husband a flying kiss that was apparently all he needed to dive in for more of Link’s eager lips.

“Of course it worked. All those two needed was a little push.”

“Still can’t believe it took them this long…”

“What can I say? We’re married to a pair of dumbasses,” Christy said, her voice betraying the warm feelings she had for said dumbasses.

“It’s such a shame they are so sweet,” Jessie said with a mock sigh and a headshake.

“And good with their hands,” Christy added with a wink.

“And so very pretty.”

“And good fathers.”

“And funny.”

“Well, I don’t know if I would go that far…” Christy said and they both burst into laughter. Jessie moved her drink into her other hand and reached for Christy. Their fingers threaded together easily and Jessie settled back onto her chair, closing her eyes again.

“They’re going to the house tomorrow,” Christy said after a little while.

“Mmhmm. Wanna do something?”

“Movie night?”

“Perfect.” 

A comfortable silence fell between them and Jessie could hear Link’s giggling yelp from across the yard, the following low growl of her husband chasing him and then two consecutive splashes of water. 

Christy’s thumb rubbed small, tingling circles onto Jessie’s skin, the sun was warm on her bare feet and a faint smell of burgers was making her mouth water. 

Life was _good_ in the McLaughlin-Neal household. 


End file.
